NEWS 409 Lecture Notes - Lecture 27: Personal Boundaries
Document Summary
Do we have an unfettered right to protest on government property notes. The government can limit such protests depending on several factors. The text of the first amendment provides for the right of the people peaceably to assemble. The key word is peaceably violent protesting is not allowed. Second, not all government property is treated the same for first amendment purposes. U. s. supreme court has established the public-forum doctrine to examine whether certain types of public property are open to first amendment expressive activity. These categories include traditional public forums, limited or designated public forums and nonpublic forums. Still other government property is not considered a forum at all. First amendment rights apply the most in a traditional public forum, such as a public park. The general rule is that government officials may not impose content-based restrictions on speech in a public forum.