Republican Party of Minnesota v. White

2002 United States Supreme Court case

Republican Party of Minnesota v. White

Supreme Court of the United States

Argued March 26, 2002
Decided June 27, 2002
Full case name| Republican Party of Minnesota, et al., Petitioners v. Suzanne White, Chairperson, Minnesota Board of Judicial Standards, et al.
Docket no.| 01-521
Citations| 536 U.S. 765 (more)

122 S. Ct. 2528; 153 L. Ed. 2d 694; 2002 U.S. LEXIS 4883; 70 U.S.L.W. 4720; 15 Fla. L. Weekly Fed. S 518

Argument| Oral argument
Opinion announcement| Opinion announcement
Case history
Prior| Judgment for defendants, 63 F. Supp. 2d 967 (Minn. 1999); affirmed, 247 F.3d 854 (8th Cir. 2001); cert. granted, 534 U.S. 1054 (2001)
Holding
"Announce clauses" of judicial ethics codes which prohibit judicial candidates from announcing their views on how disputed legal or political issues be decided are unconstitutional.
Court membership

Chief Justice
William Rehnquist
Associate Justices
John P. Stevens * Sandra Day O'Connor
Antonin Scalia * Anthony Kennedy
David Souter * Clarence Thomas
Ruth Bader Ginsburg * Stephen Breyer
Case opinions
Majority| Scalia, joined by Rehnquist, O'Connor, Kennedy, Thomas
Concurrence| O'Connor
Concurrence| Kennedy
Dissent| Stevens, joined by Souter, Ginsburg, Breyer
Dissent| Ginsburg, joined by Stevens, Souter, Breyer
Laws applied
U.S. Const. amend. I; Minnesota Code of Judicial Conduct 5(A)(3)(d)(i)

Republican Party of Minnesota v. White, 536 U.S. 765 (2002), was a decision of the Supreme Court of the United States regarding the First Amendment rights of candidates for judicial office. In a 5-4 decision, the court ruled that Minnesota's announce clause, which forbade candidates for judicial office from announcing their views on disputed legal and political issues, was unconstitutional.

## Background[edit]

Minnesota, like many states, had a code of judicial ethics[1] that constrained candidates seeking to be elected as judges from discussing issues that could come before them if elected and announcing their views--referred to as an "announce clause."

In 1996, Gregory Wersal ran for associate justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court. He distributed literature critical of several Minnesota Supreme Court decisions. An ethics complaint was filed against him; however, the board, which was to review the complaint, dismissed the charges and cast doubt upon the constitutionality of the announce clause.

In 1998, Wersal ran again for the same office. However, this time, he preemptively filed suit in Federal District Court against Suzanne White, the chairperson of the Minnesota Board on Judicial Standards. Wersal charged that the announce clause limited his right to free speech and made a mockery of the election process by denying him the ability to wage a meaningful campaign. The Republican Party of Minnesota joined in Wersal's lawsuit, arguing that the restrictions prevented the Party from learning Wersal's views on the issues and thus making an informed decision to oppose or support his candidacy.

The district court found that the announce clause did not violate the Constitution. Wersal appealed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, and they affirmed the district court's decision. Wersal then filed for a writ of certiorari to the United States Supreme Court, which was granted.

## The decision[edit]

In a 5-4 ruling, the Supreme Court reversed the Eighth Circuit and declared Minnesota's announce clause to be in violation of the First Amendment. The Court reasoned that Minnesota's announce clause "burden[ed] a category of speech that is at the core of First Amendment freedoms -- speech about the qualifications of candidates for public office." The Court concluded that the announce clause was not narrowly tailored to serve the state's compelling interest in judicial impartiality and therefore failed the test of strict scrutiny.

## Post-decision[edit]

In 2006, a retired Justice O'Connor expressed concern about her vote in the White case, stating, "That (Minnesota) case, I confess, does give me pause."[2]

## See also[edit]

* James Bopp
* List of United States Supreme Court cases, volume 536
* Rutan v. Republican Party

## References[edit]

1. ^ See generally, ABA Model Code of Judicial Conduct (2004);[1] Minnesota Code of Judicial Conduct (2006).[2] See also, in specific, ABA Model Code of Judicial Conduct (1972), Canon 7(B); Minnesota Code of Judicial Conduct (2000) Canon 5(A)(3)(d)(i).
2. ^ Egelko, Bob (November 4, 2006). "Former justice warns of threat to judiciary / O'Connor tells of political assault on court's autonomy". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved April 30, 2015.

## External links[edit]

* Text of Republican Party of Minnesota v. White, 536 U.S. 765 (2002) is available from: Cornell Findlaw Justia
* First Amendment Library entry on Republican Party of Minnesota v. White
* mp3 Recording of the oral argument
* Transcript of the oral argument
* PDF of slip opinion
* Article on political vs. independent judges at The Economist

* v
* t
* e

United States First Amendment case law

Establishment Clause

| Public displays
and ceremonies|

* Marsh v. Chambers (1983)
* Lynch v. Donnelly (1984)
* Board of Trustees of Scarsdale v. McCreary (1985)
* County of Allegheny v. American Civil Liberties Union (1989)
* Van Orden v. Perry (2005)
* McCreary County v. American Civil Liberties Union (2005)
* Pleasant Grove City v. Summum (2009)
* Salazar v. Buono (2010)
* Town of Greece v. Galloway (2014)
* American Legion v. American Humanist Association (2019)

|

Statutory religious
exemptions|

* Walz v. Tax Comm'n of the City of New York (1970)
* California v. Grace Brethren Church (1982)
* Bob Jones University v. United States (1983)
* Estate of Thornton v. Caldor, Inc. (1985)
* Corp. of Presiding Bishop v. Amos (1987)
* Texas Monthly, Inc. v. Bullock (1989)
* City of Boerne v. Flores (1997)
* Cutter v. Wilkinson (2005)

Public funding|

* Cochran v. Board of Education (1930)
* Everson v. Board of Education (1947)
* Flast v. Cohen (1968)
* Board of Ed. of Central School Dist. No. 1 v. Allen (1968)
* Lemon v. Kurtzman (1971)
* Tilton v. Richardson (1971)
* Lemon v. Kurtzman II (1973)
* Levitt v. Committee for Public Education and Religious Liberty (1973)
* Hunt v. McNair (1973)
* Committee for Public Education v. Nyquist (1973)
* Sloan v. Lemon (1973)
* Wheeler v. Barrera (1974)
* Public Funds for Public Schools v. Marburger (1974)
* Meek v. Pittenger (1975)
* Roemer v. Board of Public Works of Maryland (1976)
* Wolman v. Walter (1977)
* New York v. Cathedral Academy (1977)
* Committee for Public Education and Religious Liberty v. Regan (1980)
* Valley Forge Christian College v. Americans United for Separation of Church & State (1982)
* Mueller v. Allen (1983)
* School Dist. of Grand Rapids v. Ball (1985)
* Aguilar v. Felton (1985)
* Witters v. Washington Department of Services for the Blind (1986)
* Zobrest v. Catalina Foothills School District (1993)
* Board of Ed. of Kiryas Joel Village School Dist. v. Grumet (1994)
* Agostini v. Felton (1997)
* Mitchell v. Helms (2000)
* Zelman v. Simmons-Harris (2002)
* Arizona Christian Sch. Tuition Org. v. Winn (2011)
* Trinity Lutheran Church v. Comer (2017)
* Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue (2020)
* Carson v. Makin (2022)

Religion in
public schools|

* McCollum v. Board of Education (1948)
* Zorach v. Clauson (1952)
* Engel v. Vitale (1962)
* Abington School District v. Schempp (1963)
* Epperson v. Arkansas (1968)
* Stone v. Graham (1980)
* Wallace v. Jaffree (1985)
* Edwards v. Aguillard (1987)
* Westside Community Board of Ed. v. Mergens (1990)
* Lee v. Weisman (1992)
* Santa Fe Ind. School Dist. v. Doe (2000)
* Elk Grove Unif. School Dist. v. Newdow (2004)
* Kennedy v. Bremerton School Dist. (2022)

Private religious speech|

* Lamb's Chapel v. Center Moriches Union Free School Dist. (1993)
* Capitol Square Review & Advisory Board v. Pinette (1995)
* Rosenberger v. Univ. of Virginia (1995)
* Good News Club v. Milford Central School (2001)
* Shurtleff v. City of Boston (2022)
* Kennedy v. Bremerton School Dist. (2022)

Internal church affairs|

* Watson v. Jones (1872)
* Gonzalez v. Roman Catholic Archbishop of Manila (1929)
* United States v. Ballard (1944)
* Kedroff v. St. Nicholas Cathedral (1952)
* Kreshik v. St. Nicholas Cathedral (1960)
* Presbyterian Church v. Hull Church (1969)
* Serbian Eastern Orthodox Diocese v. Milivojevich (1976)
* Jones v. Wolf (1979)
* Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Juan v. Acevedo Feliciano (2020)

Taxpayer standing|

* Flast v. Cohen (1968)
* Valley Forge Christian College v. Americans United for Separation of Church & State (1982)
* Hein v. Freedom From Religion Foundation (2007)
* Arizona Christian Sch. Tuition Org. v. Winn (2011)

Blue laws|

* McGowan v. Maryland (1961)
* Two Guys from Harrison-Allentown, Inc. v. McGinley (1961)
* Braunfeld v. Brown (1961)
* Estate of Thornton v. Caldor, Inc. (1985)

Other|

* Torcaso v. Watkins (1961)
* McDaniel v. Paty (1978)
* Harris v. McRae (1980)
* Larkin v. Grendel's Den, Inc. (1982)
* Larson v. Valente (1982)
* Bowen v. Kendrick (1988)
* Swaggart Ministries v. Board of Equalization (1989)
* Board of Ed. of Kiryas Joel Village School Dist. v. Grumet (1994)
* Trump v. Hawaii (2018)

Free Exercise Clause

* Reynolds v. United States (1879)
* Davis v. Beason (1890)
* Cantwell v. Connecticut (1940)
* Minersville School District v. Gobitis (1940)
* Jamison v. Texas (1943)
* Murdock v. Pennsylvania (1943)
* United States v. Ballard (1944)
* Tucker v. Texas (1946)
* Niemotko v. Maryland (1951)
* Kunz v. New York (1951)
* Fowler v. Rhode Island (1953)
* Braunfeld v. Brown (1961)
* Gallagher v. Crown Kosher Super Market of Massachusetts, Inc. (1961)
* Torcaso v. Watkins (1961)
* Sherbert v. Verner (1963)
* Cruz v. Beto (1972)
* Wisconsin v. Yoder (1972)
* McDaniel v. Paty (1978)
* Heffron v. International Society for Krishna Consciousness, Inc. (1981)
* Thomas v. Review Board (1981)
* United States v. Lee (1982)
* Bob Jones University v. United States (1983)
* Bowen v. Roy (1986)
* Goldman v. Weinberger (1986)
* O'Lone v. Estate of Shabazz (1987)
* Frazee v. Illinois Department of Employment Security (1989)
* Swaggart Ministries v. Board of Equalization (1989)
* Employment Division v. Smith (1990)
* Church of Lukumi Babalu Aye v. City of Hialeah (1993)
* Watchtower Society v. Village of Stratton (2002)
* Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission (2018)
* Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn v. Cuomo (2020)
* Tandon v. Newsom (2021)
* Fulton v. City of Philadelphia (2021)
* Kennedy v. Bremerton School Dist. (2022)

| Exclusion of religion
from public benefits|

* Locke v. Davey (2004)
* Trinity Lutheran Church v. Comer (2017)
* Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue (2020)
* Carson v. Makin (2022)

|

Ministerial exception|

* NLRB v. Catholic Bishop of Chicago (1979)
* Hosanna-Tabor v. EEOC (2012)
* Our Lady of Guadalupe School v. Morrissey-Berru (2020)

Statutory religious exemptions|

| RFRA|

* Gonzales v. O Centro Espírita Beneficente União do Vegetal (2006)
* Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc. (2014)
* Zubik v. Burwell (2016)
* Little Sisters of the Poor Saints Peter and Paul Home v. Pennsylvania (2020)
* Tanzin v. Tanvir (2020)

|

RLUIPA|

* Sossamon v. Texas (2011)
* Holt v. Hobbs (2015)
* Ramirez v. Collier (2022)

Freedom of speech (portal)

| Unprotected
speech|

| Incitement
and sedition|

* Alien and Sedition Acts (1798)
* Masses Publishing Co. v. Patten (S.D.N.Y. 1917)
* Schenck v. United States (1919)
* Debs v. United States (1919)
* Abrams v. United States (1919)
* Gitlow v. New York (1925)
* Whitney v. California (1927)
* Fiske v. Kansas (1927)
* Dennis v. United States (1951)
* Communist Party v. Subversive Activities Control Bd. (1955; 1961)
* Yates v. United States (1957, clear and present danger)
* Bond v. Floyd (1966)
* Brandenburg v. Ohio (1969, imminent lawless action)
* Hess v. Indiana (1973)

|

Libel and
false speech|

* New York Times Co. v. Sullivan (1964)
* Hustler Magazine v. Falwell (1988)
* United States v. Alvarez (2012)
* Susan B. Anthony List v. Driehaus (2014)

Fighting words and
the heckler's veto|

* Cantwell v. Connecticut (1940)
* Chaplinsky v. New Hampshire (1942)
* Terminiello v. City of Chicago (1949)
* Feiner v. New York (1951)
* Gregory v. City of Chicago (1969)
* Cohen v. California (1971)
* Nat'l Socialist Party v. Village of Skokie (1977)
* R.A.V. v. City of St. Paul (1992)
* Snyder v. Phelps (2011)

True threats|

* Watts v. United States (1969)
* Virginia v. Black (2003)
* Elonis v. United States (2015)
* Counterman v. Colorado (2023)

Obscenity|

* Rosen v. United States (1896)
* United States v. One Book Called Ulysses (S.D.N.Y. 1933)
* Roth v. United States (1957)
* One, Inc. v. Olesen (1958)
* Smith v. California (1959)
* Marcus v. Search Warrant (1961)
* MANual Enterprises, Inc. v. Day (1962)
* Jacobellis v. Ohio (1964)
* Quantity of Books v. Kansas (1964)
* Ginzburg v. United States (1966)
* Memoirs v. Massachusetts (1966)
* Redrup v. New York (1967)
* Ginsberg v. New York (1968)
* Stanley v. Georgia (1969)
* United States v. Thirty-seven Photographs (1971)
* Kois v. Wisconsin (1972)
* Miller v. California (1973)
* Paris Adult Theatre I v. Slaton (1973)
* United States v. 12 200-ft. Reels of Film (1973)
* Jenkins v. Georgia (1974)
* Southeastern Promotions, Ltd. v. Conrad (1975)
* Erznoznik v. City of Jacksonville (1975)
* Young v. American Mini Theatres, Inc. (1976)
* Vance v. Universal Amusement Co., Inc. (1980)
* American Booksellers Ass'n, Inc. v. Hudnut (7th Cir. 1985)
* People v. Freeman (Cal. 1988)
* United States v. X-Citement Video, Inc. (1994)
* Reno v. ACLU (1997)
* United States v. Playboy Entertainment Group, Inc. (2000)
* City of Los Angeles v. Alameda Books, Inc. (2002)
* Ashcroft v. ACLU I (2002)
* United States v. American Library Ass'n (2003)
* Ashcroft v. ACLU II (2004)
* Nitke v. Gonzales (S.D.N.Y. 2005)
* United States v. Williams (2008)
* American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression v. Strickland (6th Cir. 2009)
* United States v. Kilbride (9th Cir. 2009)
* United States v. Stevens (2010)
* Brown v. Entertainment Merchants Ass'n (2011)
* FCC v. Fox Television Stations, Inc. (2012)

Speech integral
to criminal conduct|

* New York v. Ferber (1982)
* Osborne v. Ohio (1990)
* Ashcroft v. Free Speech Coalition (2002)
* United States v. Hansen (2023)

Strict scrutiny|

* Holder v. Humanitarian Law Project (2010)
* Williams-Yulee v. Florida Bar (2015)

Vagueness|

* Smith v. Goguen (1974)
* Board of Airport Commissioners v. Jews for Jesus (1987)
* Minnesota Voters Alliance v. Mansky (2018)

Symbolic speech
versus conduct|

* Stromberg v. California (1931)
* United States v. O'Brien (1968)
* Cohen v. California (1971)
* Spence v. Washington (1974)
* Clark v. Community for Creative Non-Violence (1984)
* Dallas v. Stanglin (1989)
* Texas v. Johnson (1989)
* United States v. Eichman (1990)
* Barnes v. Glen Theatre (1991)
* City of Erie v. Pap's A. M. (2000)
* Virginia v. Black (2003)

Content-based
restrictions|

* Lamont v. Postmaster General (1965)
* Metromedia, Inc. v. San Diego (1981)
* Boos v. Barry (1988)
* Butterworth v. Smith (1990)
* Simon & Schuster, Inc. v. Crime Victims Board (1991)
* R.A.V. v. City of St. Paul (1992)
* Reed v. Town of Gilbert (2015)
* Barr v. American Association of Political Consultants (2020)
* City of Austin v. Reagan National Advertising of Austin, LLC (2022)

Content-neutral
restrictions|

* Schneider v. New Jersey (1939)
* Renton v. Playtime Theatres, Inc. (1986)
* City of Ladue v. Gilleo (1994)
* Packingham v. North Carolina (2017)

| In the
public forum|

* Davis v. Massachusetts (1897)
* Hague v. CIO (1939)
* Thornhill v. Alabama (1940)
* Martin v. City of Struthers (1943)
* Niemotko v. Maryland (1951)
* Edwards v. South Carolina (1963)
* Cox v. Louisiana (1965)
* Brown v. Louisiana (1966)
* Adderley v. Florida (1966)
* Carroll v. Town of Princess Anne (1968)
* Coates v. City of Cincinnati (1971)
* Org. for a Better Austin v. Keefe (1971)
* USPS v. Council of Greenburgh Civic Assns. (1981)
* United States v. Grace (1983)
* Clark v. Community for Creative Non-Violence (1984)
* Frisby v. Schultz (1988)
* Ward v. Rock Against Racism (1989)
* Burson v. Freeman (1992)
* Madsen v. Women's Health Center, Inc. (1994)
* Schenck v. Pro-Choice Network of Western New York (1997)
* Hill v. Colorado (2000)
* McCullen v. Coakley (2014)

|

Designated
public forum|

* Widmar v. Vincent (1981)
* Rosenberger v. Univ. of Virginia (1995)
* Uzuegbunam v. Preczewski (2021)

Nonpublic
forum|

* Lehman v. Shaker Heights (1974)
* Brown v. Glines (1980)
* Perry Education Association v. Perry Local Educators' Association (1983)
* Cornelius v. NAACP Legal Defense Fund (1985)
* International Society for Krishna Consciousness, Inc. v. Lee (1992)
* Arkansas Educational Television Commission v. Forbes (1997)
* Minnesota Voters Alliance v. Mansky (2018)

Compelled speech|

* Minersville School District v. Gobitis (1940)
* West Virginia State Board of Ed. v. Barnette (1943)
* Miami Herald Publishing Co. v. Tornillo (1974)
* Wooley v. Maynard (1977)
* Pruneyard Shopping Center v. Robins (1980)
* Pacific Gas & Electric Co. v. Public Utilities Comm'n of California (1986)
* Hurley v. Irish-American Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Group of Boston (1995)
* Rumsfeld v. Forum for Academic & Institutional Rights, Inc. (2006)
* National Institute of Family and Life Advocates v. Becerra (2018)
* 303 Creative LLC v. Elenis (2023)
* Moody v. NetChoice, LLC (2024)

Compelled subsidy
of others' speech|

* Ry. Emps. Department v. Hanson (1956)
* Machinists v. Street (1961)
* Abood v. Detroit Board of Education (1977)
* Ellis v. Railway Clerks (1984)
* Chicago Local Teachers Union v. Hudson (1986)
* Communications Workers of America v. Beck (1988)
* Keller v. State Bar of California (1990)
* Lehnert v. Ferris Faculty Ass'n (1991)
* Glickman v. Wileman Brothers & Elliot, Inc. (1997)
* Board of Regents of the Univ. of Wisconsin System v. Southworth (2000)
* United States v. United Foods Inc. (2001)
* Johanns v. Livestock Marketing Ass'n (2005)
* Davenport v. Washington Education Ass'n (2007)
* Locke v. Karass (2008)
* Ysursa v. Pocatello Education Association (2009)
* Knox v. SEIU, Local 1000 (2012)
* Harris v. Quinn (2014)
* Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association (2016)
* Janus v. AFSCME (2018)

| Compelled representation|

* Steele v. Louisville & N.R. Co (1944)
* Minnesota Board for Community Colleges v. Knight (1984)

|

Government grants
and subsidies|

* Regan v. Taxation with Representation of Washington (1983)
* Rust v. Sullivan (1991)
* National Endowment for the Arts v. Finley (1998)
* Legal Services Corp. v. Velazquez (2001)
* USAID v. Alliance for Open Society I (2013)
* USAID v. Alliance for Open Society II (2020)

Government
as speaker|

* Pleasant Grove City v. Summum (2009)
* Walker v. Texas Div., Sons of Confederate Veterans (2015)
* Matal v. Tam (2017)
* Iancu v. Brunetti (2019)
* Houston Community College System v. Wilson (2022)
* Shurtleff v. City of Boston (2022)
* Vidal v. Elster (2024)

Loyalty oaths|

* American Communications Ass'n v. Douds (1950)
* Garner v. Board of Public Works (1951)
* Speiser v. Randall (1958)
* Keyishian v. Board of Regents (1967)
* Communist Party of Indiana v. Whitcomb (1974)

School speech|

* Minersville School District v. Gobitis (1940)
* West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette (1943)
* Tinker v. Des Moines Ind. Community School Dist. (1969, substantial disruption)
* Healy v. James (1972)
* Island Trees School District v. Pico (1982)
* Bethel School District v. Fraser (1986)
* Hazelwood School District v. Kuhlmeier (1988)
* Westside Community Board of Ed. v. Mergens (1990)
* Rosenberger v. Univ. of Virginia (1995)
* Brentwood Academy v. Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Assn. (2001)
* Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Assn. v. Brentwood Academy (2007)
* Morse v. Frederick (2007)
* Uzuegbunam v. Preczewski (2021)
* Mahanoy Area School District v. B.L. (2021)

Public employees|

* Pickering v. Board of Education (1968)
* Perry v. Sindermann (1972)
* Arnett v. Kennedy (1974)
* Elrod v. Burns (1976)
* Mt. Healthy City School Dist. Board of Ed. v. Doyle (1977)
* Givhan v. Western Line Consol. School Dist. (1979)
* Smith v. Arkansas State Hwy. Employees Local (1979)
* Connick v. Myers (1983)
* Rankin v. McPherson (1987)
* Rutan v. Republican Party of Illinois (1990)
* Waters v. Churchill (1994)
* Board of Comm'rs, Wabaunsee Cty. v. Umbehr (1996)
* Brentwood Academy v. Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Assn. (2001)
* Garcetti v. Ceballos (2006)
* Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Assn. v. Brentwood Academy (2007)
* Borough of Duryea v. Guarnieri (2011)
* Lane v. Franks (2014)
* Heffernan v. City of Paterson (2016)
* Kennedy v. Bremerton School Dist. (2022)

Hatch Act and
similar laws|

* Ex parte Curtis (1882)
* United Public Workers v. Mitchell (1947)
* U.S. Civil Service Comm'n v. National Ass'n of Letter Carriers (1973)
* Broadrick v. Oklahoma (1973)

Licensing and
restriction of speech|

* Mutual Film Corp. v. Industrial Comm'n of Ohio (1915)
* Cox v. New Hampshire (1941)
* Murdock v. Pennsylvania (1943)
* Kunz v. New York (1951)
* Joseph Burstyn, Inc. v. Wilson (1952)
* Kingsley Books, Inc. v. Brown (1957)
* NAACP v. Button (1963)
* Railroad Trainmen v. Virginia Bar (1964)
* Freedman v. Maryland (1965)
* Mine Workers v. Illinois Bar Assn. (1967)
* Heffron v. International Society for Krishna Consciousness, Inc. (1981)
* Hoffman Estates v. The Flipside, Hoffman Estates, Inc. (1982)
* Riley v. Nat'l Fed'n of the Blind (1988)
* Forsyth County v. Nationalist Movement (1992)

Commercial speech|

* Valentine v. Chrestensen (1942)
* Rowan v. U.S. Post Office Dept. (1970)
* Pittsburgh Press Co. v. Pittsburgh Comm'n on Human Relations (1973)
* Lehman v. Shaker Heights (1974)
* Goldfarb v. Virginia State Bar (1975)
* Bigelow v. Virginia (1975)
* Virginia State Pharmacy Bd. v. Virginia Citizens Consumer Council (1976)
* Linmark Assoc., Inc. v. Township of Willingboro (1977)
* Carey v. Population Services International (1977)
* Bates v. State Bar of Arizona (1977)
* In re Primus (1978)
* Ohralik v. Ohio State Bar Association (1978)
* Friedman v. Rogers (1979)
* Consol. Edison Co. v. Public Serv. Comm'n (1980)
* Central Hudson Gas & Electric Corp. v. Public Service Commission (1980)
* Metromedia, Inc. v. San Diego (1981)
* In re R.M.J. (1982)
* Hoffman Estates v. The Flipside, Hoffman Estates, Inc. (1982)
* Zauderer v. Off. of Disciplinary Counsel of Supreme Court of Ohio (1985)
* Pacific Gas & Electric Co. v. Public Utilities Comm'n of California (1986)
* Posadas de Puerto Rico Assoc. v. Tourism Co. of Puerto Rico (1986)
* San Francisco Arts & Athletics, Inc. v. U.S. Olympic Committee (1987)
* Shapero v. Kentucky Bar Association (1988)
* Riley v. Nat'l Fed'n of the Blind (1988)
* State University of New York v. Fox (1989)
* Peel v. Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission of Illinois (1990)
* City of Cincinnati v. Discovery Network (1993)
* Edenfield v. Fane (1993)
* United States v. Edge Broadcasting Co. (1993)
* Ibanez v. Florida Dept. of Business and Professional Regulation, Bd. of Accountancy (1994)
* Lebron v. National Railroad Passenger Corp. (1995)
* Rubin v. Coors Brewing Co. (1995)
* Florida Bar v. Went For It, Inc. (1995)
* 44 Liquormart, Inc. v. Rhode Island (1996)
* Glickman v. Wileman Brothers & Elliot, Inc. (1997)
* Greater New Orleans Broadcasting Assn., Inc. v. United States (1999)
* Los Angeles Police Department v. United Reporting Publishing Co. (1999)
* United States v. United Foods Inc. (2001)
* Lorillard Tobacco Co. v. Reilly (2001)
* Thompson v. Western States Medical Center (2002)
* Nike, Inc. v. Kasky (2003)
* Johanns v. Livestock Marketing Ass'n (2005)
* Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Assn. v. Brentwood Academy (2007)
* Milavetz, Gallop & Milavetz, P.A. v. United States (2010)
* Jerman v. Carlisle, McNellie, Rini, Kramer & Ulrich LPA (2010)
* Sorrell v. IMS Health Inc. (2011)
* Expressions Hair Design v. Schneiderman (2017)
* Matal v. Tam (2017)
* Iancu v. Brunetti (2019)
* Barr v. American Association of Political Consultants (2020)
* Vidal v. Elster (2024)

Campaign finance
and political speech|

* Buckley v. Valeo (1976)
* First National Bank of Boston v. Bellotti (1978)
* California Medical Association v. FEC (1981)
* Citizens Against Rent Control v. City of Berkeley (1981)
* FEC v. National Right to Work Committee (1982)
* FEC v. National Conservative PAC (1985)
* FEC v. Massachusetts Citizens for Life (1986)
* Eu v. S.F. Cty. Democratic Cent. Comm. (1989)
* Austin v. Michigan Chamber of Commerce (1990)
* Colorado Republican Federal Campaign Committee v. FEC (1996)
* Nixon v. Shrink Missouri Government PAC (2000)
* FEC v. Colorado Republican Federal Campaign Committee (2001)
* Republican Party of Minnesota v. White (2002)
* FEC v. Beaumont (2003)
* McConnell v. FEC (2003)
* Wisconsin Right to Life, Inc. v. FEC (2006)
* Randall v. Sorrell (2006)
* FEC v. Wisconsin Right to Life, Inc. (2007)
* Davis v. FEC (2008)
* Citizens United v. FEC (2010)
* Nevada Commission on Ethics v. Carrigan (2011)
* Arizona Free Enterprise Club's Freedom Club PAC v. Bennett (2011)
* American Tradition Partnership, Inc. v. Bullock (2012)
* McCutcheon v. FEC (2014)
* Williams-Yulee v. Florida Bar (2015)
* Thompson v. Hebdon (2019)
* FEC v. Ted Cruz for Senate (2022)

Anonymous speech|

* NAACP v. Alabama (1958)
* Bates v. City of Little Rock (1960)
* Buckley v. Valeo (1976)
* Brown v. Socialist Workers '74 Campaign Committee (1982)
* McIntyre v. Ohio Elections Comm'n (1995)
* Doe v. Reed (2010)
* Americans for Prosperity Foundation v. Bonta (2021)

State action|

* Marsh v. Alabama (1946)
* Lloyd Corp. v. Tanner (1972)
* Manhattan Community Access Corp. v. Halleck (2019)
* Lindke v. Freed (2024)
* Murthy v. Missouri (2024)

Official retaliation|

* Hartman v. Moore (2006)
* Reichle v. Howards (2012)
* Wood v. Moss (2014)
* Lozman v. City of Riviera Beach (2018)
* Nieves v. Bartlett (2019)
* Egbert v. Boule (2022)
* Gonzalez v. Trevino (2024)
* National Rifle Association of America v. Vullo (2024)

Boycotts|

* NAACP v. Claiborne Hardware Co. (1982)
* FTC v. Superior Ct. TLA (1990)

Prisons|

* Procunier v. Martinez (1974)
* Jones v. North Carolina Prisoners' Union (1977)
* Turner v. Safley (1987)
* Shaw v. Murphy (2001)
* Overton v. Bazzetta (2003)
* Beard v. Banks (2006)

Freedom of the press

| Prior restraints
and censorship|

* Patterson v. Colorado (1907)
* Near v. Minnesota (1931)
* Lovell v. City of Griffin (1938)
* Tucker v. Texas (1946)
* Hannegan v. Esquire, Inc. (1946)
* Lamont v. Postmaster General (1965)
* New York Times Co. v. United States (1971)
* Pell v. Procunier (1974)
* Nebraska Press Ass'n v. Stuart (1976)
* Landmark Communications, Inc. v. Virginia (1978)
* Lowe v. SEC (1985)
* Tory v. Cochran (2005)

|

Privacy|

* Time, Inc. v. Hill (1967)
* Cox Broadcasting Corp. v. Cohn (1975)
* Florida Star v. B. J. F. (1989)

Taxation and
privileges|

* Grosjean v. American Press Co. (1936)
* Branzburg v. Hayes (1972)
* Houchins v. KQED, Inc. (1978)
* Minneapolis Star Tribune Co. v. Commissioner (1983)
* Arkansas Writers' Project v. Ragland (1987)
* Cohen v. Cowles Media Co. (1991)

Defamation|

* Beauharnais v. Illinois (1952)
* New York Times Co. v. Sullivan (1964)
* Curtis Publishing Co. v. Butts (1967)
* Greenbelt Cooperative Publishing Ass'n, Inc. v. Bresler (1970)
* Gertz v. Robert Welch, Inc. (1974)
* Time, Inc. v. Firestone (1976)
* Bose Corp. v. Consumers Union of United States, Inc. (1984)
* Dun & Bradstreet, Inc. v. Greenmoss Builders, Inc. (1985)
* McDonald v. Smith (1985)
* Hustler Magazine v. Falwell (1988)
* Harte-Hanks Communications, Inc. v. Connaughton (1989)
* Milkovich v. Lorain Journal Co. (1990)
* Obsidian Finance Group, LLC v. Cox (9th Cir. 2014)

Broadcast media|

* Red Lion Broadcasting Co. v. FCC (1969)
* FCC v. Pacifica Foundation (1978)
* FCC v. WNCN Listeners Guild (1981)
* Denver Area Ed. Telecommunications Consortium, Inc. v. FCC (1996)
* Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. v. FCC (1997)
* Bartnicki v. Vopper (2001)

Copyrighted materials|

* Zacchini v. Scripps-Howard Broadcasting Co. (1977)
* Harper & Row v. Nation Enterprises (1985)
* Eldred v. Ashcroft (2003)

Freedom of assembly

| Incorporation|

* United States v. Cruikshank (1876)
* Presser v. Illinois (1886)

|

Protection from prosecution
and state restrictions|

* De Jonge v. Oregon (1937)
* Thomas v. Collins (1945)
* Americans for Prosperity Foundation v. Bonta (2021)

Freedom of association

| Organizations|

* Joint Anti-Fascist Refugee Committee v. McGrath (1951)
* Watkins v. United States (1957)
* NAACP v. Alabama (1958)
* Bates v. City of Little Rock (1960)
* NAACP v. Button (1963)
* Americans for Prosperity Foundation v. Bonta (2021)

|

Future Conduct|

* Baggett v. Bullitt (1964)

Solicitation|

* In re Primus (1978)

Membership restriction|

* Hishon v. King & Spalding (1984)
* Roberts v. United States Jaycees (1984)
* Rotary Int'l v. Rotary Club of Duarte (1987)
* New York Club Ass'n v. City of New York (1988)
* Dallas v. Stanglin (1989)
* Hurley v. Irish-American Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Group of Boston (1995)
* Boy Scouts of America v. Dale (2000)
* Christian Legal Society v. Martinez (2010)

Primaries and elections|

* Cousins v. Wigoda (1975)
* Democratic Party v. Wisconsin (1981)
* Tashjian v. Republican Party (1986)
* Timmons v. Twin Cities Area New Party (1997)
* California Democratic Party v. Jones (2000)
* Clingman v. Beaver (2005)
* New York State Board of Elections v. Lopez Torres (2008)
* Washington State Grange v. Washington State Republican Party (2008)

Freedom to petition

* United States v. Cruikshank (1876)
* Thomas v. Collins (1945)
* Eastern Railroad Presidents Conference v. Noerr Motor Freight, Inc. (1961)
* NAACP v. Button (1963)
* Edwards v. South Carolina (1963)
* United Mine Workers v. Pennington (1965)
* Cox v. Louisiana (1965)
* California Motor Transport Co. v. Trucking Unlimited (1972)
* Smith v. Arkansas State Highway Employees (1979)
* McDonald v. Smith (1985)
* Meyer v. Grant (1988)
* Buckley v. American Constitutional Law Foundation (1999)
* BE and K Construction Co. v. National Labor Relations Board (2002)
* Doe v. Reed (2010)
* Borough of Duryea v. Guarnieri (2011)

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