ABSTRACT
The guarantee of freedom of speech prohibits the government from interfering with freedom of expression. Speech may have both communicative and noncommunicative aspects. Government may be permitted to place restrictions on when, where, and how individuals exercise their free speech rights. The courts will be more demanding in their examination of time, place, and manner restrictions that seek to regulate speech in public forums because of the vital role they play in providing individuals and groups with an inexpensive means to convey ideas and messages to the public. The US Supreme Court found a substantially similar set of locational restrictions to be valid, although it could not agree on a single rationale for its decision. In cases involving adult entertainment regulations, the Court has upheld ordinances that singled out certain theaters for disparate regulatory treatment based on the content of the films they exhibited.
