Opinion ID: 1609069
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Content-Neutral Laws

Text: Drawing on prior decisions, the Supreme Court in Boos v. Barry stated that content-neutral speech restrictions are those that are justified without reference to the content of the regulated speech. 485 U.S. 312, 320, 108 S.Ct. 1157, 1163, 99 L.Ed.2d 333 (1988) (plurality opinion) (quotations and citations omitted); See also Playboy Entertainment Group, 529 U.S. at 811, 120 S.Ct. at 1885. The Court has also held that, as a general rule, laws that confer benefits or impose burdens on speech without reference to the ideas or views expressed are in most instances content neutral. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. v. FCC, 512 U.S. 622, 643, 114 S.Ct. 2445, 2459, 129 L.Ed.2d 497 (1994). Content-neutral laws are aimed at the noncommunicative impact of expressive conduct. Laurence H. Tribe, American Constitutional Law § 12-2, 790-792 (2d ed.1988). They are allowed to stand in certain circumstances because various methods of speech, regardless of their content, may frustrate legitimate governmental goals. Consolidated Edison Co. v. Public Service Comm'n, 447 U.S. 530, 536, 100 S.Ct. 2326, 2332, 65 L.Ed.2d 319 (1980). For example, in order to avoid undue disturbance of nearby residential areas a government entity may adopt a rule that limits sound levels at a concert arena, [50] bars sound trucks from broadcasting in a loud and raucous manner on the streets, [51] or prohibits Saturday morning parades. [52] [R]egulations that are unrelated to the content of speech are subject to an intermediate level of scrutiny. Turner Broadcasting, 512 U.S. at 642, 114 S.Ct. at 2459. The Court has phrased its First Amendment intermediate scrutiny test in two slightly different ways. John E. Nowak & Ronald D. Rotunda, Constitutional Law § 16.47, 1320 (7th ed.2004). First, the Court has enunciated the general principle that government regulation is permissible: if it is within the constitutional power of the Government; if it furthers an important or substantial governmental interest; if the governmental interest is unrelated to the suppression of free expression; and if the incidental restriction on alleged First Amendment freedoms is no greater than is essential to the furtherance of that interest. United States v. O'Brien, 391 U.S. 367, 377, 88 S.Ct. 1673, 1679, 20 L.Ed.2d 672 (1968); See also Turner Broadcasting, 512 U.S. at 662, 114 S.Ct. at 2469. The second method of analysis elaborates on this general principle by restating it in terms of a three-part test. Nowak, supra at 1320. The Court will uphold a reasonable restriction on the time, place, and manner of speech if the government can show: (1) that the restriction is justified without reference to the content of the regulated speech; (2) that it is narrowly tailored to serve a significant governmental interest; and (3) that the regulation leaves open ample alternative channels for communication of the information. See Ward v. Rock Against Racism, 491 U.S. 781, 791, 109 S.Ct. 2746, 2753-2754, 105 L.Ed.2d 661 (1989) (citing Clark v. Community for Creative Non-Violence, 468 U.S. 288, 293, 104 S.Ct. 3065, 3069, 82 L.Ed.2d 221 (1984)).