First Amendment Permitting Schemes

Summary

Courts have found permitting schemes that lack clear standards or grant excessive discretion to officials as violations of the First Amendment. Notable cases include Shuttlesworth v. City of Birmingham, Forsyth County v. Nationalist Movement, and City of Lakewood v. Plain Dealer Publishing Co. These cases highlight the importance of objective criteria in permitting processes to prevent unconstitutional restrictions on free speech. Additional cases like Niemotko v. Maryland, Saia v. New York, and Watchtower Bible & Tract Society of New York, Inc. V. Village of Stratton further emphasize the need for clear standards to avoid unbridled discretion.

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Show me cases where a court found that a permitting scheme that was silent as to discretion was still considered "unbridled discretion" and thus in violation of the First Amendment
Here are a few cases where courts found that permitting schemes were silent as to discretion and thus considered "unbridled discretion," violating the First Amendment:
- Shuttlesworth v. City of Birmingham (*): The Supreme Court struck down a parade ordinance that gave officials the power to grant or deny permits without clear standards.
- Forsyth County v. Nationalist Movement (*): The Supreme Court invalidated a permitting scheme because it allowed a county administrator to set fees without objective standards.
- City of Lakewood v. Plain Dealer Publishing Co. (*): The Supreme Court found an ordinance unconstitutional because it gave the mayor discretion to approve or deny permits for news racks without clear criteria.
Would you like more details on any of these cases?
**** but I would like more cases like this please
Here are some additional cases where courts found that permitting schemes were considered "unbridled discretion," violating the First Amendment:
- Niemotko v. Maryland (*): The Supreme Court ruled that the denial of a permit for a religious group to hold a meeting in a public park was unconstitutional.
- Saia v. New York (*): The Supreme Court invalidated a sound truck ordinance because it allowed the police chief to grant or deny permits without clear standards.
- Watchtower Bible & Tract Society of New York, Inc. v. Village of Stratton (*): The Supreme Court struck down a permit requirement for door-to-door advocacy because it lacked clear and narrow standards.
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