National Institute of Family and Life Advocates v. Becerra
United States Supreme Court
138 S. Ct. 2361 (2018)
A California law required licensed pregnancy clinics to notify patients that the state offered free or low-cost abortion services, and required unlicensed clinics to disclose their unlicensed status using a specific 29-word statement on all advertising. The National Institute of Family and Life Advocates (NIFLA) (plaintiff) sued California (defendant), arguing the notice requirements violated clinics' First Amendment rights; the Ninth Circuit applied only intermediate scrutiny, treating professional speech as a distinct, less-protected category, and the Supreme Court granted certiorari.
Whether content-based restrictions on professional speech are subject to strict scrutiny rather than a lesser standard of review.