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First Amendment
"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it."
Voltaire
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Young
v.
American Mini Theatres, Inc.
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First Amendment
Justice Stevens Decision
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June 24, 1976
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Excerpt:
Zoning ordinances adopted by the city of Detroit differentiate between
motion picture theaters which exhibit sexually explicit "adult" movies
and those which do not. The principal question presented by this case
is whether that statutory classification is unconstitutional because it
is based on the content of communication protected by the First
Amendment.
... A remark attributed to Voltaire characterizes our zealous adherence to the principle that the government may not tell the citizen what he may or may not say. Referring to a suggestion that the violent overthrow of tyranny might be legitimate, he said: "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." The essence of that comment has been repeated time after time in our decisions invalidating attempts by the government to impose selective controls upon the dissemination of ideas.
Thus, the use of streets and parks for the free expression of views on
national affairs may not be conditioned upon the sovereign's agreement
with what a speaker may intend to say. Nor may speech be
curtailed because it invites dispute, creates dissatisfaction
with conditions the way they are, or even stirs people to anger.
The sovereign's agreement or disagreement with the content of what a
speaker has to say may not affect the regulation of the time, place, or
manner of presenting the speech.
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