Walker v. Texas Division, Sons of Confederate Veterans
The Court Rules That State License Plates Are Government Speech
Walker v. Texas Division, Sons of Confederate Veterans was featured in The Confederate Flag and Free Speech, Supreme Court Debates (May 2015). The following is excerpted from the summary of the 5-to-4 opinion written by Justice Breyer, as prepared by the Court Reporter of Decisions: Texas’s specialty license plate designs constitute government speech, and thus Texas was entitled to refuse to issue plates featuring Sons of Confederate Veterans’ proposed design. When government speaks, it is not barred by the Free Speech Clause from determining the content of what it says. A government is generally entitled to promote a program, espouse…
