Opinion ID: 789564
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: conclusion

Text: 40 When government restricts the expression of ideas, alarm bells should sound for all of us. The freedom of speech — including both a speaker's freedom to convey an idea, and a listener's freedom to receive it — is at the heart of the protections that our Constitution guarantees so that our society may remain a free one. The fact that judicial proceedings can be sensitive and controversial does not diminish the importance of vigorous national debate on matters concerning the administration of justice. 41 But our courts will be unable to carry out their vital functions — including the weighty task of enforcing the guarantees of our Constitution — if jurors are not insulated from influences that could undermine their ability to decide the cases before them fairly and impartially. Due process requires that the accused receive a trial by an impartial jury free from outside influences. Sheppard, 384 U.S. at 362, 86 S.Ct. 1507. 42 The Alaska Supreme Court has carefully narrowed the state's jury tampering statute so that it operates in service of the latter constitutional command without substantially impinging on the former. Given this construction, the Alaska Supreme Court's conclusion that the jury tampering statute is not overbroad in violation of the First Amendment was not a decision that was contrary to, or involved an unreasonable application of, clearly established Federal law, as determined by the Supreme Court of the United States. 28 U.S.C. § 2254(d)(1). We therefore affirm the district court's denial of habeas relief. AFFIRMED