Abstract
The lines between content-neutral, content-based, and viewpoint-based restrictions on speech remain unclear in key respects despite the critical importance that these characterizations hold within First Amendment jurisprudence. This Article will analyze the law concerning the boundaries between these categories of laws with respect to speech activities in public and limited forums. The Article argues that five categories of laws are inherently suspect under the Free Speech Clause and should be treated as such. Formal recognition by the Court that laws of this nature should be subject to strict scrutiny would bring much needed clarity to this area of law and would help to ensure that freedom of speech receives the robust protection that it deserves, while affording the government ample room to enact reasonable, narrowly tailored laws that address legitimate concerns.
Recommended Citation
Jay A. Sekulow & Erik M. Zimmerman,
Uncertainty Is the Only Certainty: A Five-Category Test to Clarify the Unsure Boundaries Between Content-Based and Content-Neutral Restrictions on Speech,
65
Emory L. J.
455
(2015).
Available at:
https://scholarlycommons.law.emory.edu/elj/vol65/iss2/7