Government shows its hand...good news!

[Peter D. Junger]

"James S. Tyre" writes:

: Tim May is correct (as is Declan's clarification of his earlier note). 
: If the amendment does become law, however, do not expect two things:
: 
: . . . .
: 
: 2.  Do not expect that a case will involve a broad coalition of
: plaintiffs, as was the case with the CDA.  Expect that the courts will
: only entertain an action by a plaintiff with traditional standing:  one
: who goes through all of the bureaucratic hoops trying to get a license,
: and then is turned down.

There would, undoubtedly, have to be some showing of standing, but
that would not require going through the bureaucratic hoops of trying
to get a license _if_ the denial of a license is not reviewable under
the APA, and perhaps not even then.  It is the requirement that one
get a license, not the denial of the license, that is a prior
restraint in violation of the First Amendment and if a licensing
scheme on speech is to be upheld it must provide for prompt judicial
review.  (And normally providing judicial review is not enought to
get around the prior restraint challenge.)  

--
Peter D. Junger--Case Western Reserve University Law School--Cleveland, OH
 EMAIL: junger at samsara.law.cwru.edu    URL:  http://samsara.law.cwru.edu   
     NOTE: junger at pdj2-ra.f-remote.cwru.edu no longer exists