The Redskins will remain the Redskins.
The NFL club officially won after the Justice Department, in a letter to a federal appeals court, abandoned its legal fight over the Redskins name, according to the Associated Press.
The department conceded last week’s Supreme Court decision in Matal v. Tam in favor of an Asian-American band calling itself the Slants means the NFL team will prevail. There are no more legal battles for the Redskins, allowing them to keep the name some allege disparages Native Americans.
Redskins Owner Dan Snyder said last week he was “thrilled” by the Supreme Court’s ruling.
Per the Associated Press, the Redskins case had been on hold in the federal appeals court while the Slants decision was rendered. The Supreme Court found that Simon Tam could trademark the Slants as the name of his Asian-American rock band because it would be unconstitutional for the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to discriminate against it, citing the First Amendment’s free speech protection. The justices were unanimous in saying the 71-year-old trademark law barring disparaging terms infringes free speech rights.
“Consistent with Tam, the Court should reverse the judgment of the district court and remand the case with instructions to enter judgment in favor of Pro-Football,” Mark Freeman, an attorney for the Justice Department’s civil division, wrote to the Richmond, Virginia-based 4th Circuit Court of Appeals.