Are Bumper Stickers Legal
The 10th Circuit, in its decision Wise v. Casper, concluded that the couple`s Rights under the First Amendment had not been violated. The court noted that the couple were only participants in the event and that the speech in question (the bumper sticker) took place outside the event. Because they were excluded based on statements outside of the event, the court noted that they had “not identified any First Amendment doctrine prohibiting the government from excluding them from making an official discourse on private property based on their views.” The court also held that the defendants were entitled to qualified immunity. The Court concluded that “the provision governing blasphemous words on bumper stickers provides a significant amount of constitutionally protected speech and unconstitutionally restricts freedom of speech” under the First Amendment. The department disciplined employees who had the stickers, citing them for behavior “detrimental to the regulation, order, or discipline of the department.” The ministry also cited them for violating a policy that states that stickers and stickers “that may be construed as obscene, cause embarrassment or harass members may not be posted on or on fire department property.” A federal judge from Missouri came in 1995 in Goodman v. City of Kansas City. A municipal ordinance restricted the political right of employees to express themselves. The by-law included one that stated: “No vehicle with a bumper sticker leading to the election or defeat of a candidate or political party may be parked in a parking lot controlled by the city.” That being said, you can definitely be arrested for an offensive, vulgar, or discriminatory message on a bumper sticker. “I think bumper stickers reflect what you have in your car, what you are and everything. And I think it`s great for some people, but it`s just not my way of doing it,” one visitor said.
The judge wrote: “While Baker is certainly not a likely contender for a literary award, he has serious literary value as a parody of stickers like `How`s My Driving? Call 1-800-2-ADVISE. Baker`s sticker also has political value as a protest against the “Big Brother” mentality promoted by other bumper stickers that call on the public to report truck drivers` indiscretions. While the Supreme Court dismissed the certiorari on appeal, Justice Ginsburg, who was joined by Justice Sotomayor, disagreed. Justice Ginsburg said the couple`s exclusion from the event “may have been nothing more than retaliation for the expression conveyed by the bumper sticker” and that “official retaliation for protected speech violates the Constitution as it threatens to impede the exercise of the protected right.” “For citizens without wealth or power, a bumper sticker may be one of the few available ways to convey a message to an audience audience,” U.S. District Judge Myron Thompson wrote in 1991 in baker v. Glover, who defends an Alabama truck driver with the sticker “How`s my driving? Call 1-800-EAT-S—. The constitutionality of criminalizing bumper stickers remains seriously questionable, as it is difficult to imagine a bumper sticker that actually meets the legal definition of obscenity. According to Action News, it`s a bit complicated. Police will not stop a driver for a non-offensive bumper sticker that does not block something like his sight. But if a police officer has another valid reason to stop you, an offensive bumper sticker could certainly add fuel to the fire. David L.
Hudson Jr. (updated September 2017). 2009. Bumper sticker [electronic resource]. The First Amendment Encyclopedia, Middle Tennessee State University (accessed September 30, 2022). www.mtsu.edu/first-amendment/article/988/bumper-stickers The usual incident occurs with bumper stickers that contain profane words or images. For example, in 1999, a Florida woman was quoted for her “Fuck you, you fucking fuck” sticker. The charges against Laura Elizabeth Barron were eventually dropped. The 10th U.S. Court of Appeals ruled in 2016 in its williams v.
McKee that the officer`s right to freedom of expression had not been violated. The court recognized that the officer had an interest in political discourse and found that his interest was outweighed by the sheriff`s interest in maintaining an impartial and efficient work environment. The court found that the restriction to cover the sticker or parking lot was closely suited to this interest and did not prevent the officer from affixing the bumper sticker at another time or place. Similarly, a federal district court in Alabama overturned the conviction of a truck driver whose vehicle bore the bumper sticker “How am my driving? Call 1-800-EAT SHIT! Baker v. Glover (1991), the court ruled that the bumper sticker was protected under the First Amendment “because it has serious literary and political value.” The federal judge sided with juvenile court officials, noting that “the juvenile court could reasonably conclude that any partisan bumper sticker could result in material and significant interference in the plaintiff`s duties, and that a higher state interest in promoting the efficiency of juvenile service employees and the district court justifies banning all partisan bumper stickers.” Tennessee`s attorney general issued a statement in 1988 that the bill at the time was constitutional as long as it only applied to bumper stickers that met the legal definition of obscenity. The notice concludes: “The display of a bumper sticker with the words `s. t happens` does not appear to imply any of the circumstances that allow for the restriction or regulation of state speech. Therefore, such objects cannot be prohibited under constitutional law. See Tenn. Op. Atty.
Gen. No. 88-44. The state attorney general affirmed this in 2004, noting that the provision is constitutionally sound as long as the prohibited material meets the obscenity test. See Tenn. Op. Atty. Gen.
No. 04-086. Bumper stickers remain an easy way for citizens to express themselves on a variety of issues – political candidates, environmental concerns, religion, sports teams, almost every issue imaginable. They also pose fascinating problems of expression when the government decides to sue the issuer of an offensive bumper sticker. When it comes to bumper stickers, the legal landscape is littered with court rulings that confirm First Amendment rights for Americans to say what they have in mind. Despite Cunningham and Glover`s decisions, some states still have laws banning offensive or obscene bumper stickers. For example, Tennessee has the following law: drive down a street in America, and you`ll see cars with logos, bumper stickers, and stickers plastered all over the place. These slogans and advertisements can be catchy and funny, helping to boost local businesses.
A bumper sticker is usually nothing more than a slogan or other simple message, but we`ve all seen a few that can be a bit offensive. According to the Freedom Forum Institute, bumper stickers are everywhere.