Court Takes Case on 'Tea Party' Name

Floridians square off on who can use the title
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Apr 14, 2010 2:47 PM CDT
Court Takes Case on 'Tea Party' Name
Fred Polnisch of Clifton Park, N.Y., salutes during the national anthem at a tea party rally in Albany.   (AP Photo/Mike Groll)

Who exactly can call himself a member of the Tea Party? A Florida judge will rule on the matter in a trial later this year. Self-described tea partiers are suing Fred O'Neal, who registered the "Tea Party" as a political party in the state. They accuse him of having a liberal agenda and say he's trying to confuse the public. Reuters points out the irony of anti-government protesters turning to a federal court to protect their name.

"I looked for the rule book but I never found it," says O'Neal, an anti-tax crusader. "I don't know what it takes to be an authentic Tea Party versus a fake Tea Party." (More tea party activists stories.)

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