The case of Heffron v. International Society for Krishna
Consciousness (452 U.S. 640 (1981)) gave
the basic rules for how time, place and manner restrictions can
remain constitutional under the 1st Amendment. The US Supreme Court found that such restrictions
are constitutionally permitted as long as they are:
Justified without regard to
the content of the regulated speech,
Serve a compelling
government interest, and
Leave open ample alternative
channels for communication of the information.
In this particular case, the Court found that Minnesota
could prohibit the distribution of literature at their State Fair except at
designated booths. In addition, Minnesota could limit the number of booths, as
long as they gave them out on a first-come first-serve basis, regardless of the
speaker, viewpoint, or subject matter.