Source: http://lawspace.stmarytx.edu/item/2013STMULawBestBriefOverallNealBruning
Timestamp: 2019-04-24 14:50:27+00:00

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GREG WEBBER, Governor of the State of Gilead, Petitioner, v. WINSTON SMITH, Respondent.
QUESTIONS PRESENTED I. II. Is the Gilead state special license plate program government speech? Does the program constitute viewpoint discrimination?
OPINIONS BELOW The opinion of the United States District Court for the District of Gilead is unreported but may be found on pages 25 to 29 of the appellate record. (R. at 25-29). The opinion of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourteenth Circuit is also unreported but may be found on pages 32 and 33 of the appellate record (R. at 32-33). STATEMENT OF JURISDICTION The court of appeals entered judgment on February 1, 2012. (R. at 32-33). Petitioner filed his petition for writ of certiorari on February 7, 2012. (R. at 34-35). This Court granted the petition on March 25, 2012. (R. at 36). This Court’s jurisdiction rests on 28 U.S.C. § 1254(1) (2000). STANDARD OF REVIEW A district court’s fact findings and the reasonable inferences to be drawn from them are reviewed for clear error. Its legal conclusions are reviewed de novo. CONSTITUTIONAL AND STATUTORY PROVISIONS INVOLVED The First Amendment of the United States Constitution, 42 Gil. Stat. Ann. § 1661, and 42 Gil. Stat. Ann. § 2050 are reproduced in an Appendix to this brief, in pertinent part.
STATEMENT OF THE CASE Section 1661 of the Gilead Statutes provides the parameters of the State of Gilead’s special license plate program. (R. at 6-8). The Gilead General Assembly subsequently passed Section 2050, which directed the Gilead Commissioner of the Department of Motor Vehicles (“Commissioner”) to issue a specialty license plate designed by INtegrate Gilead’s SOCiety (“INGSOC”), a pro-diversity organization. (R. at 9). INGSOC’s proposed design bore INGSOC’s logo and the text “Celebrate Gilead’s Diversity.” (R. at 3-4). Winston Smith (“Smith”) filed an application with the Gilead Commissioner of the Department of Motor Vehicles (“Commissioner”) for the issuance of a new specialty license plate expressing pride in Caucasian heritage in the State of Gilead. (R. at 3). The proposed plate contained the logo of an organization of which Smith is a member and the text “White Pride Statewide.” (R. at 3-4). Smith’s application complied with all other aspects of Section 1661. (R. at 4). Greg Webber, the Governor of Gilead (“Governor”), rejected Smith’s proposed design as contrary to state law. (R. at 4). Specifically, the Governor claimed Smith’s design was contrary to Section 1984 of the Gilead Statutes (“ONESTATE Act”) Id. The ONESTATE Act prohibits any officer, employee, or agent of the State of Gilead from knowingly discriminating on the basis of race. (R. at 9). In an effort to protect his First Amendment right of freedom of speech, Smith filed suit against the Governor and requested that the court declare the ONESTATE Act unconstitutional and compel the Governor to authorize Smith’s proposed specialty license plate design or, in the alternative, to enjoin further issuance of the “Celebrate Gilead’s Diversity” specialty license plate. (R. at 2-5).
The factors considered in the Fourth Circuit’s four-part test include: (1) the “central purpose”; (2) the “degree of editorial control” retained by the government; (3) the “identity of the literal speaker”; and (4) the bearer of the “ultimate responsibility” for the speech content. Sons of Confederate Veterans, 288 F.3d at 618. First, the central purpose of Gilead’s special license plate program is to generate revenue for the state, while allowing the license plate’s holder to express his personal views. See id. at 619 (special plate program resulted in additional $4.5 million revenue for the State of Virginia in fiscal year). Section 1661 of the Gilead Statutes requires a minimum order of one hundred (100) plates before the Commissioner may authorize the issuance of any special license plate. 42 Gil. Stat. Ann. § 1661(3)(b) (1998). If the central purpose of Gilead’s special license plate program is to allow the government to disseminate its own message, there is no justification for the government’s establishment of a minimum order restriction “before its ‘speech’ is triggered.” See Sons of Confederate Veterans, 288 F.3d at 620 (350 minimum order). See also Arizona Life, 515 F.3d at 966 (200 minimum order).
APPENDIX U.S. CONST. amend. I – First Amendment Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. 42 Gil. Stat. Ann. § 1661 (1998)– Special License Plates (1) All specialty motor vehicle registration plates issued or renewed after January 1, 1998 shall be issued and renewed pursuant to the provisions of this section. The Commissioner of Motor Vehicles shall issue only those specialty license plate designs that are provided for by statute, or which have been authorized by the Governor pursuant to this section. All license plates issued by the Department are property of the State of Gilead. No specialty license plates shall be considered for authorization by the Governor unless and until the individual, group, entity, or organization seeking the authorization of such specialty license plates shall have demonstrated to the satisfaction of the Commissioner that they meet the issuance requirements set forth in paragraph (3) of this section. Upon satisfaction of the requirements of this section, or within thirty (30) days of the receipt of the application for the creation of a new license plate, whichever is sooner, the Commissioner shall communicate, in writing, to the Governor recommending that the proposed specialty plate be either authorized or rejected. The Commissioner shall not recommend that the Governor authorize any proposed specialty license plate design: (a) For which the Commissioner has not received a prepaid application on a form prescribed by the Department; this application must include the emblem, seal, symbol, or other design to be imprinted on the plate; this application shall also include, if applicable, a proposal for the establishment of a Specialty License Plate Revenue Sharing Fund designating organization(s) to be recipients of proceeds from such fund; (b) For which the Commissioner has not received a minimum order of one hundred (100) plates; *** (4) The Governor may alter, modify, or refuse to authorize any special license plate that is contrary to the laws of this state.
Jennifer Neal Bruning, “Best Brief Contest Winner: Greg Webber v. Winston Smith 12-0123 Brief for Respondent Winner of the 2013 Best Brief Contest at St. Mary's University School of Law,” St. Mary's Law Digital Repository, accessed April 24, 2019, http://lawspace.stmarytx.edu/item/2013STMULawBestBriefOverallNealBruning.

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