Cass R. Sunstein

About the author: Cass R. Sunstein is a professor at the University of Chicago Law School and the author of seventeen books, including Designing Democracy: What Constitutions Do and Democracy and the Problem of Free Speech.

Governments have many legitimate reasons to regulate speech. For example, governments have made perjury illegal in an attempt to guarantee that trials are conducted fairly. The promotion of democratic goals is also a reason why government might choose to regulate television, radio, and the Internet. Requiring television stations to give free time to political candidates, for example, promotes the expression of diverse views. However, political speech is entitled to the highest level of protection because governments cannot be wholly trusted to impartially control speech that may affect their own interests.

There should be no ambiguity...