1、CRS Legal Sidebar Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress Legal SidebarLegal Sidebari i Refining Reed: City of Austin Updates Test for Content-Based Speech Restrictions May 2, 2022 The Supreme Courts April 21, 2022, decision in City of Austin v. Reagan National Advertising of Austin, LLC is
2、the latest development in the Courts free speech jurisprudence on content neutrality. Content neutrality is important because it largely determines the level of scrutiny that a court would apply to a law regulating speech in a First Amendment challenge, with content-neutral laws receiving less rigor
3、ous scrutiny than content-based ones do. In this case, the Court held that the citys restriction on “off-premises” signssigns advertising or directing readers to businesses or activities at another locationwas content neutral on its face because it regulated signs based on their location rather than
4、 their subject matter or topic. This Sidebar provides a brief overview of how the Courts standards for evaluating content neutrality have changed over time. It then discusses the City of Austin decision and why the case could have implications beyond sign ordinances, potentially paving the way for b
