Grosjean v. American Press Co., 297 U.S. 233; 56 S. Ct. 444; 80 L. Ed. 660 (1936) Facts—A group of newspapers in the state of Louisiana brought suit to prevent enforcement of a statute levying a 2 percent gross receipts…

Near v. Minnesota ex rel. Olson, 283 U.S. 697; 51 S. Ct. 625; 75 L. Ed. 1357 (1931) Facts—A Minnesota statute provided for the abatement, as a public nuisance, of a “malicious, scandalous and defamatory newspaper, magazine, or other periodical.”…

Abrams v. United States, 250 U.S. 616; 40 S. Ct. 17; 63 L. Ed. 1173 (1919) Facts—Abrams and four other Russians were indicted for conspiring to violate the Espionage Act. They published two leaflets that denounced the efforts of capitalist…

Rumsfeld v. Forum, 547 U.S. 47; 126 S. Ct. 1297; 164 L. Ed. 2d 156 (2006) Facts—The Forum for Academic and Institutional Rights, Inc. (FAIR), an association of law schools and law faculties, challenged the Solomon Amendment, which tied federal…

Boy Scouts of America v. Dale, 530 U.S. 640; 120 S. Ct. 2446; 147 L. Ed. 2d 554 (2000) Facts—The Monmouth Council of the Boy Scouts of America revoked the adult membership of an assistant scoutmaster, James Dale, a former…

Hurley v. Irish-American Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Group of Boston, 515 U.S. 557; 115 S. Ct. 2338; 132 L. Ed. 2d 487 (1995) Facts—Since 1947 an unincorporated group of veterans has sponsored the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Boston. In…

Frisby v. Schultz, 487 U.S. 474; 108 S. Ct. 2495; 101 L. Ed. 2d 420 (1988) Facts—Brookfield, Wisconsin, is a residential suburb of Milwaukee. It has a population of about 5,000. Antiabortionists Sandra Schultz and Robert Braun, along with others,…

Board of Directors of Rotary International v. Rotary Club of Duarte, 481 U.S. 537; 107 S. Ct. 1940; 95 L. Ed. 2d 474 (1987) Facts—Each local Rotary Club is a member of Rotary International in which (as of 1982) there…

Branti v. Finkel, 445 U.S. 507; 100 S. Ct. 1287; 63 L. Ed. 2d 574 (1980) Facts—Finkel and Tabakman, two Republican assistant public defenders, were about to be discharged by Branti, the newly appointed county public defender, who was a…

NAACP v. Alabama, 357 U.S. 449; 78 S. Ct. 1163; 2 L. Ed. 2d 1488 (1958) Facts—Alabama sought to enjoin the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) from conducting further activities within the state. As a foreign…