Lorillard Tobacco Co. v. Reilly: The Supreme Court Sends First Amendment Guarantees Up in Smoke By Applying the Commercial Speech Doctrine to Content-Based Regulations

Authors

Kerri L. Keller

Abstract

This note examines why the Supreme Court’s application of the commercial speech doctrine to purely “content-based” regulations erodes First Amendment guarantees. Section II provides a brief history of the First Amendment and discusses the different levels of judicial scrutiny applied in First Amendment cases. Section III provides the statement of facts, the procedural history, and the United States Supreme Court’s decision in Lorillard. Finally, Part IV examines the decision in Lorillard and discusses why the Court should have applied strict scrutiny to the regulations at issue. It further discusses how the Court’s refusal to apply strict scrutiny to content-based commercial regulations is in direct contravention of First Amendment principles.

Recommended Citation

Keller, Kerri L. (2003) "Lorillard Tobacco Co. v. Reilly: The Supreme Court Sends First Amendment Guarantees Up in Smoke By Applying the Commercial Speech Doctrine to Content-Based Regulations," Akron Law Review: Vol. 36: Iss. 1, Article 4.
Available at: https://ideaexchange.uakron.edu/akronlawreview/vol36/iss1/4