Find Court Cases > Lee v. Int. Soc. for Krishna Consciousness

Lee v. Int. Soc. for Krishna Consciousness

Case Date: 03/25/1992
Docket No: none

Facts of the Case 

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey banned the distribution of flyers, brochures, pamphlets and other printed material at its airport terminals. Members of a religious group wanted to perform a ritual involving the distibution of literature at these airports. The group challenged the regulation on free expression and and free exercise grounds of the First Amendment.

Question 

Does the regulation banning the distribution of literature at airports violate the free speech and free exercise clauses of the First Amendment?

Argument Lee v. Int. Soc. for Krishna Consciousness - Oral ArgumentFull Transcript Text  Download MP3 Conclusion  Decision: 5 votes for Int. Soc. for Krishna Consciousness, 4 vote(s) against Legal provision: Amendment 1: Speech, Press, and Assembly

In a short per curiam opinion, the court held 5 to 4 that the ban on literature distribution violated the Free Speech Clause. (A related case, also Int. Soc. for Krishna Consciousness v. Lee, 505 U.S. 672, addressed a ban on the solicitation of funds.)