Linmark Associates, Inc. v. Township of Willingboro
United States Supreme Court
431 U.S. 85 (1977)
Concerned that white residents would leave as its minority population grew, the Council of the Township of Willingboro (CTW) (defendant) enacted an ordinance banning "For Sale" or "Sold" signs on residential properties, intending to reduce the appearance of white homeowners fleeing the area. Linmark Associates, Inc. (plaintiff), a property owner affected by the ordinance, sued in federal district court to enjoin its enforcement; the district court held the ordinance unconstitutional, but the court of appeals reversed, and the Supreme Court granted certiorari.
Whether the First Amendment permits a municipality to prohibit the posting of "For Sale" or "Sold" signs when the municipality acts to stem what it perceives as the flight of Caucasian homeowners from a racially integrated community.