The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to hear an appeal brought by the Washington Redskins to challenge a lower court ruling that cancelled the team’s trademarks on the grounds their name is offensive to Native Americans.
In an unusual request, the NFL team had sought to have the justices weigh in on the case before a federal appeals court had ruled. The team was hoping their arguments could be heard alongside a case involving Asian-American rock band, The Slants, which raises similar issues regarding trademark law and the First Amendment.
The Supreme Court agreed last week to take The Slants’ case.