The current First Amendment standard for restricting incitement to violence, requiring that speech be directed to producing imminent lawless action and be likely to produce such action. It replaced the clear and present danger test and provides stronger protection for speech.
From Latin 'imminere' (to overhang, threaten), 'lawless' from Old English 'lahleas' (without law), and 'action' from Latin 'actio' (a doing). This test emerged from Brandenburg v. Ohio (1969), refining earlier doctrines to require more immediate and specific threats to justify speech restrictions.
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