Home > West's Encyclopedia of American Law > Parody

A form of speech protected by the FIRST AMENDMENT as a "distorted imitation" of an original work for the purpose of commenting on it.

The use of parody as a means to express political and social views has a long history in the United States. Every president of the United States, including GEORGE WASHINGTON, has been the subject of satire and parody, often in the form of political cartoons. The cartoons, caricatures, and other forms of parody and satire typically distort and overly emphasize certain aspects of the subject's physical characteristics, such as ABRAHAM LINCOLN's lanky posture, FRANKLIN D....