Redskins ask U.S. Supreme Court to hear trademark case

The Washington Redskins have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to hear their case over their trademark.

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The Washington Redskins have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to hear their case over their trademark, reports the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

The Redskins’ trademark is currently under review at the Fourth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Va.

In 2014, two members of Congress sent a letter to the NFL saying that the name was offensive. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office later ruled the Redskins name was offensive to Native Americans. However, in December 2015, a judge ruled that the federal government could not ban or censor offensive speech in trademarks under protection of the First Amendment.

A poll run by The Change the Mascot campaign in 2014 determined that 83 percent of Americans would not use the term to a Native American’s face. Some critics of the name say it is a racial slur that denigrates Native Americans, while many defenders say that the name honors Native Americans. 

Redskins owner Dan Snyder has said previously that he will never change the team’s name.

The Redskins open their season against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sept. 12.