Opinion ID: 1179423
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: the first amendment and private property

Text: In Marsh v. Alabama , Grace Marsh, a Jehovah's Witness, was arrested for distributing religious literature on the streets of Chickasaw, Alabama, without a permit. Id. at 503, 66 S.Ct. at 276-77. Chickasaw was a company town owned by the Gulf Shipbuilding Corporation; the town management prohibited solicitation of any kind without a permit. Id. at 502-03, 66 S.Ct. at 276-77. Marsh argued that this prohibition violated the first amendment of the United States Constitution. [5] The United States Supreme Court ruled that the private ownership of the streets and sidewalks of Chickasaw did not defeat the constitutional claim: We do not agree that the corporation's property interests settle the question. The State urges in effect that the corporation's right to control the inhabitants of Chickasaw is coextensive with the right of a homeowner to regulate the conduct of his guests. We cannot accept that contention. Ownership does not always mean absolute dominion. The more an owner, for his advantage, opens up his property for use by the public in general, the more do his rights become circumscribed by the statutory and constitutional rights of those who use it. Id. at 505-06, 66 S.Ct. at 278-79 (footnote omitted). The Court focused on the fact that Chickasaw was a town like any other and that its business block served as the community shopping center. Id. at 508, 66 S.Ct. at 279. Thus, regardless of the incidents of ownership, the public had a strong interest in ensuring that channels of communication remained free and open. Id. at 507-08, 66 S.Ct. at 279-80. The Court concluded that the first amendment entitled Marsh to exercise her right of free expression, notwithstanding the private property rights asserted by Chickasaw's corporate owner. Id. at 509, 66 S.Ct. at 280. Twenty-two years later, a divided Court extended the decision in Marsh and held that the first amendment prohibits the owners of land on which a shopping center is situated from enjoining peaceful labor picketing of a business in the center. Amalgamated Food Employees Union Local 590 v. Logan Valley Plaza, 391 U.S. 308, 88 S.Ct. 1601, 20 L.Ed.2d 603 (1968). The Court noted that Logan Valley Plaza had a perimeter of almost 1.1 miles, contained two large stores and 15 smaller establishments, and had sidewalks and painted roadways for use by the public. Id. at 317-18 & n. 8, 88 S.Ct. at 1608 & n. 8. The Court also remarked on the expanding role of the suburban shopping center in modern society and expressed concern that such centers could effectively insulate themselves from public criticism by surrounding themselves with a buffer zone of private property. Id. at 324-25, 88 S.Ct. at 1611. Justice Douglas began his concurrence by noting that Logan Valley presented a totally different question from an invasion of one's home or place of business. Id. at 325-26, 88 S.Ct. at 1612-13. In Lloyd Corp. v. Tanner, 407 U.S. 551, 92 S.Ct. 2219, 33 L.Ed.2d 131 (1972), the Court severely circumscribed Logan Valley when it ruled that the private owner of a shopping center may prohibit political handbilling unrelated to the shopping center's operations. The court rejected the handbillers' argument that the shopping center was constrained by the first amendment merely because it was open to the public; the Court noted that this theory would apply to almost every retail or service establishment in the country. Id. at 565, 92 S.Ct. at 2227. Instead, the court stated that property [does not] lose its private character merely because the public is generally invited to use it for designated purposes. Few would argue that a freestanding store, with abutting parking space for customers, assumes significant public attributes merely because the public is invited to shop there. Id. at 569, 92 S.Ct. at 2229; accord Central Hardware v. National Labor Relations Bd., 407 U.S. 539, 546-47, 92 S.Ct. 2238, 2242-43, 33 L.Ed.2d 122 (1972) (private property not subject to first amendment unless it assumes the functional attributes of public property devoted to public use). Four years later, in Hudgens v. National Labor Relations Board, 424 U.S. 507, 518, 96 S.Ct. 1029, 1035, 47 L.Ed.2d 196 (1976), the Court expressly overruled Logan Valley, concluding that its rationale did not survive the decision in Lloyd. Thus, except in the case of a company town, the first amendment does not guarantee freedom of speech against private infringement; it only protects against abridgement by the federal or state government. Id. 424 U.S. at 513, 96 S.Ct. at 1033. After the decision in Hudgens, the only question remaining was whether a state might interpret its constitution to prevent the owner of private property from infringing the right of free expression.