Lawsuit filed over rejected ‘WTF’ political party in Nevada

A Nevada CEO filed a lawsuit after his application to create a political party called the “WTF Party” was rejected, The Nevada Independent reported Wednesday.

Blockchains CEO Jeffery Berns filed a lawsuit against Nevada Secretary of State Barbara Cegavske, claiming the name is a “non-vulgar, peaceful political expression.”

{mosads}His attorney, Maupin, Cox & LeGoy, argued in the suit obtained by the Independent that blocking the party violated the First and 14th amendments.

The case lists examples of other minor political parties with potentially offensive names, including the “American Beer Drinker’s Party.”

“The phrase ‘WTF’ is not itself profanity and there exists numerous interpretations for the acronym,” Maupin, Cox & LeGoy said in a letter to the deputy secretary for elections in Nevada attached to the lawsuit. “That the acronym can represent a potentially offensive connotation does not overcome the protections provided by the United States Constitution.” 

Berns’s initial application for the WTF Party was rejected in May.

“Since the name of the party will include an acronym that commonly serves as a substitute for a well-known profanity, we believe that it may be offensive to a substantial portion of the electorate,” Cegavske said in a letter also attached in the case.

She also said that Berns’s documents would be held in the pending status unless he could prove the name was not meant to be offensive.

The Hill has reached out to Cegavske’s office for comment on the lawsuit.