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FAQs >
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Can a city impose a permit fee on citizens for posting political yard signs?
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Can a city prohibit political signs but allow commercial signs, such as 'for sale' signs?
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Can the government impose a 10-minute time limit on speakers during a 'public comment' period?
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Can neighborhood, homeowners’ and condo associations restrict residents in displaying signs, flags, decorations, etc., outside their dwellings?
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At a public meeting, can officials limit a person’s speech because he or she has spoken at previous meetings?
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Could officials limit each speaker to one topic per meeting?
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Could officials bar speakers from criticizing the government?
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Have courts addressed whether clapping at public meetings is protected by the First Amendment?
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May I place fliers on car windshields in a shopping-mall parking lot?
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Are city councils and similar public bodies required to have periods for public comment at meetings?
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May I place leaflets on a windshield if the car is parked along a public street?
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May I hand out leaflets to passersby on a public sidewalk?
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What is a true threat?
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How have the lower courts handled the question of true threats?
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Is it constitutional to have a separate law covering threats against the U.S. president?
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How is the true-threats doctrine applied to student speech?
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What constitutes 'imminent lawless action'?
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Can military personnel attend anti-war protests?
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Are members of the military allowed to participate in a campaign for a political candidate?
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Can the military prevent the press from covering a war?
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Are military personnel allowed to write letters to elected officials or to the editor of a newspaper?
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Can military personnel collect names on a petition to send to elected officials?
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FAQs about public employee speech
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What is the difference between a vanity plate and a specialty license plate?
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For First Amendment purposes are license plates private speech or government speech?
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Can the government prohibit racially insensitive license plates?
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What is the definition of fighting words?
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Does this mean that all profanity constitutes fighting words?
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Why is the subject of fighting words so important?
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Why are bumper stickers considered a form of speech?
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Are bumper stickers with profanity protected under the First Amendment?
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Yes, the First Amendment protects even a profane bumper sticker unless the sticker meets the legal definition of obscenity or constitutes fighting words. The First Amendment protects a great deal of expression that many people find offensive. However, it would be a rare case for a bumper sticker to be considered legally obscene or fighting words. It should be noted that a few states do have laws that prohibit obscene and patently offensive bumper stickers.
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Does it matter if a bumper sticker is displayed at a public employee's workplace, or on public school grounds?
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What are cabaret laws?
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Why is social dancing not protected by the First Amendment?
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I've been told you can't mention or even joke about weapons or bombs in an airport or on a plane. Does that rule violate the First Amendment?
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Is it unlawful to wear clothing bearing words such as 'police' or 'sheriff'?
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Does the First Amendment protect the right to wear a T-shirt that reads “Kill A Cop”?
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