> like the fact that libel and slander are illegal, despite that seeming to me as a pretty direct contradiction to the First Amendment. Libel and slander are c

> like the fact that libel and slander are illegal, despite that seeming to me as a pretty direct contradiction to the First Amendment. Libel and slander are civil torts. The First Amendment only applies to the government. You cannot, in general, be sued for libel or slander if the quasi-victim is the government, or a government official. You're free to call politicians every nasty name in the book and they can't do much about it. That's what the First Amendment is about.