City of Austin v. Reagan National Advertising of Austin, LLC
View Official PDFBelow are plain-language sections to help you understand what the Court decided in City of Austin v. Reagan National Advertising of Austin, LLC and why it matters. Quotes are taken from the syllabus (the Court’s short summary at the start of the opinion).
Summary
A short, plain-English overview of City of Austin v. Reagan National Advertising of Austin, LLC.
The Supreme Court reviewed the City of Austin's sign code, which differentiates between on-premises and off-premises signs, to determine if it violated the First Amendment's Free Speech Clause. The Court found the distinction to be content neutral, reversing the lower court's decision that applied strict scrutiny. The case was remanded for further consideration of whether the restriction serves a significant governmental interest.
Holding
The single most important “bottom line” of what the Court decided in City of Austin v. Reagan National Advertising of Austin, LLC.
The Court held that the City's on-/off-premises distinction is facially content neutral under the First Amendment.
Constitutional Concepts
These are the Constitution-related themes that appear in City of Austin v. Reagan National Advertising of Austin, LLC. Click a concept to see other cases that involve the same idea.
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Why Free Speech is relevant to City of Austin v. Reagan National Advertising of Austin, LLC
The case primarily deals with whether the City's sign code violates the First Amendment's Free Speech Clause.
Syllabus excerpt (verbatim)Reagan fled suit in state court, alleging that the City's prohibition against digitizing off-premises signs, but not on-premises signs, violated the First Amendment's Free Speech Clause.
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Why Judicial Review is relevant to City of Austin v. Reagan National Advertising of Austin, LLC
The Court reviewed the lower court's application of strict scrutiny to determine if the sign code was content-based.
Syllabus excerpt (verbatim)The Court of Appeals reversed...reviewed the City's on-/off-premises distinction under strict scrutiny, and it held that the City failed to satisfy that onerous standard.
Key Quotes
Short excerpts from the syllabus in City of Austin v. Reagan National Advertising of Austin, LLC that support the summary and concepts above.
The City's on-/off-premises distinction is facially content neutral under the First Amendment.
A sign's message matters only to the extent that it informs the sign's relative location.
Reagan's reading of Reed would contravene numerous precedents and cast doubt on the Nation's history of regulating off-premises signs.
