Licensing Requirements Cases
City of Littleton v. Z.J. Gifts D-4 (2004) upheld an adult business
licensing system against an adult bookstore that claimed the scheme
violated the First Amendment.
A required 100-question licensing test about historical sites for tour guides in Washington D.C. violated the free speech rights in the First Amendment, an appellate court ruled in a 2014 case.
Freedman v. Maryland (1965) ruled that prior restraint under a state film
censorship statute unduly restricted the First Amendment rights of film
exhibitors.
FW/PBS, Inc. v. City of Dallas (1990) said that a licensing scheme
regulating sexually-oriented businesses imposed a prior restraint,
violating the First Amendment.
Although it is common to associate worship with churches, religious experiences often spill out of such establishments into the public square. Revival meetings that led to the Great Awakenings and that stirred revivals on the American frontier were often raucous affairs, the latter often held out of doors, and sometimes featuring simultaneous speakers. Even today,
The two Jones v. City of Opelika (1942, 1943) cases, dealing with licenses
for religious booksellers, raised important First Amendment issues
regarding free exercise of religion.
Largent v Texas (1943) said giving a city mayor the power to determine who
can distribute pamphlets is censorship and not allowed under the First
Amendment.
Murdock v. Pennsylvania (1943) invalidated a city ordinance that required
solicitors to obtain a license. The Court found the law infringed on the
First Amendment rights.
Thomas v. Chicago Park District (2002) upheld an ordinance requiring events
in a public park to have a permit. The ordinance was sufficient to protect
First Amendment rights.
In Times Film Corp. v. City of Chicago (1961) ruled that requiring film
exhibitors to apply for licenses before showing their motion pictures did
not violate the First Amendment.
