Opinion ID: 201653
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Applying O'Brien Scrutiny

Text: 19 Under the O'Brien standard, conduct combining speech and non-speech elements can be regulated if four requirements are met: (1) the regulation is within the constitutional power of the Government; (2) it furthers an important or substantial governmental interest; (3) the governmental interest is unrelated to the suppression of free expression; and (4) the incidental restriction on alleged First Amendment freedoms is no greater than is essential to the furtherance of that interest. O'Brien, 391 U.S. at 377, 88 S.Ct. 1673. We have no difficulty finding that the Massachusetts exclusions meet the second requirement, as Massachusetts certainly has a substantial interest in maintaining the proper balance between promoting free exercise and preventing state establishment of religion. Neither do we doubt that Massachusetts has a substantial interest in restricting the means by which these fundamental rights can be changed. We have already stated that the exclusions aim at preventing certain uses of the initiative process, not at stemming expression, and thus meet the third O'Brien requirement. 20 As for the first requirement, that the regulation be within the constitutional power of the government, we find that the only serious, non-speech-related constitutional challenges to Massachusetts' power to regulate the subjects that may be reached by its initiative process are the Free Exercise and Equal Protection arguments, which we reject in this opinion. Having now concluded that Massachusetts' interest in protecting the fundamental free exercise and freedom from state-established religion is substantial and its method otherwise constitutionally permissible, we finally consider the fourth O'Brien requirement: whether the incidental restrictions on would-be initiative proponents' First Amendment freedoms are greater than essential to the furtherance of that interest. Since we see no other way in which Massachusetts could achieve its interest in safeguarding these fundamental freedoms in its Constitution from popular initiative, we recognize that the restriction on speech is no more than is essential. Thus, we conclude that Massachusetts' Anti-Aid and Religious Exclusions do not violate the First Amendment free speech guarantee.