The Supreme Court will decide if an Austin, Texas sign ordinance violates the First Amendment. The ordinance allows signs that advertise “on premises” businesses with a connection to the site where the sign is located but prohibits signs that are “off premises.” The city claims the ban is constitutional since it is based on the relationship of a sign to its location rather than to its content. (SCOTUS/blog, November 10, 2021, by Amy Howe)
The Austin lawsuit was filed in 2017 when advertisers wanted to upgrade old billboards with digital displays but were denied permits for these “off premises” signs. Some justices said there were unintended consequences of attempting to treat on and off premise signs differently, that it would inevitably lead to restricting speech on the basis of content. (The Hill, November 10, 2021, by John Kruzel)
Click here for the oral argument. For related FAC coverage, click here, here and here.