Mocking the Police Is Not a Crime

In a Supreme Court brief it filed this week, The Onion claims it was founded in 1756 and has "a daily readership of 4.3 trillion." The brief describes The Onion as "the single most powerful and influential organization in human history," with interests in shipping, strip mining, deforestation, and animal testing as well as journalism.

The case that prompted The Onion's brief is no less ridiculous than the satirical website's patently preposterous puffery. Last April, a federal appeals court said a man could not sue police officers who had arrested...