diff --git a/internal/pkg/output/record_writer_csv_colorizer.go b/internal/pkg/output/record_writer_csv_colorizer.go
index a602ae790..43434e643 100644
--- a/internal/pkg/output/record_writer_csv_colorizer.go
+++ b/internal/pkg/output/record_writer_csv_colorizer.go
@@ -45,7 +45,6 @@ import (
 	"bufio"
 	"errors"
 	"strings"
-	"unicode"
 	"unicode/utf8"
 
 	"github.com/johnkerl/miller/internal/pkg/colorizer"
@@ -173,6 +172,8 @@ func validDelim(r rune) bool {
 // fieldNeedsQuotes reports whether our field must be enclosed in quotes.
 // Fields with a Comma, fields with a quote or newline, and
 // fields which start with a space must be enclosed in quotes.
+// [NOTE: https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc4180 doesn't specify this so Miller
+// does not use this.]
 // We used to quote empty strings, but we do not anymore (as of Go 1.4).
 // The two representations should be equivalent, but Postgres distinguishes
 // quoted vs non-quoted empty string during database imports, and it has
@@ -205,6 +206,8 @@ func fieldNeedsQuotes(field string, comma rune) bool {
 		}
 	}
 
-	r1, _ := utf8.DecodeRuneInString(field)
-	return unicode.IsSpace(r1)
+	// Not used by Miller as noted above
+	// r1, _ := utf8.DecodeRuneInString(field)
+	// return unicode.IsSpace(r1)
+	return false
 }
diff --git a/test/cases/io-rfc-csv/0019/cmd b/test/cases/io-rfc-csv/0019/cmd
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..4b8080795
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/cases/io-rfc-csv/0019/cmd
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+mlr --csv cat ${CASEDIR}/input
diff --git a/test/cases/io-rfc-csv/0019/experr b/test/cases/io-rfc-csv/0019/experr
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..e69de29bb
diff --git a/test/cases/io-rfc-csv/0019/expout b/test/cases/io-rfc-csv/0019/expout
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..053905885
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/cases/io-rfc-csv/0019/expout
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+a,b,c
+leading, space,should not be double-quoted
diff --git a/test/cases/io-rfc-csv/0019/input b/test/cases/io-rfc-csv/0019/input
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..053905885
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/cases/io-rfc-csv/0019/input
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+a,b,c
+leading, space,should not be double-quoted