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Can a city impose a permit fee on citizens for posting political yard signs?
 
Can a city prohibit political signs but allow commercial signs, such as 'for sale' signs?
 
Can the government impose a 10-minute time limit on speakers during a 'public comment' period?
 
Can neighborhood, homeowners’ and condo associations restrict residents in displaying signs, flags, decorations, etc., outside their dwellings?
 
At a public meeting, can officials limit a person’s speech because he or she has spoken at previous meetings?
 
Could officials limit each speaker to one topic per meeting?
 
Could officials bar speakers from criticizing the government?
 
Have courts addressed whether clapping at public meetings is protected by the First Amendment?
 
May I place fliers on car windshields in a shopping-mall parking lot?
 
Are city councils and similar public bodies required to have periods for public comment at meetings?
 
May I place leaflets on a windshield if the car is parked along a public street?
 
May I hand out leaflets to passersby on a public sidewalk?
 
What is a true threat?
 
How have the lower courts handled the question of true threats?
 
Is it constitutional to have a separate law covering threats against the U.S. president?
 
How is the true-threats doctrine applied to student speech?
 
What constitutes 'imminent lawless action'?
 
Can military personnel attend anti-war protests?
 
Are members of the military allowed to participate in a campaign for a political candidate?
 
Can the military prevent the press from covering a war?
 
Are military personnel allowed to write letters to elected officials or to the editor of a newspaper?
 
Can military personnel collect names on a petition to send to elected officials?
 
FAQs about public employee speech
 
 

You will find the FAQs within the downloadable Balancing Act: Public Employees and Free Speech document in this section.
 
 
What is the difference between a vanity plate and a specialty license plate?
 
For First Amendment purposes are license plates private speech or government speech?
 
Can the government prohibit racially insensitive license plates?
 
What is the definition of fighting words?
 
Does this mean that all profanity constitutes fighting words?
 
Why is the subject of fighting words so important?
 
Why are bumper stickers considered a form of speech?
 
Are bumper stickers with profanity protected under the First Amendment?
 
Does it matter if a bumper sticker is displayed at a public employee's workplace, or on public school grounds?
 
What are cabaret laws?
 
Why is social dancing not protected by the First Amendment?
 
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?
 
Is it unlawful to wear clothing bearing words such as 'police' or 'sheriff'?
 
Does the First Amendment protect the right to wear a T-shirt that reads “Kill A Cop”?
 
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Last system update: Saturday, November 21, 2009 | 07:47:22
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Personal & public expression >
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