Protecting the use of car horns as a form of free speech by the First Amendment? It is a ‘big no’ for the Supreme Court, which rejected an appeal from a woman in California–where honking is banned–who claimed it was unconstitutional.
In 2017, Susan Porter received a ticket after beeping 11 to 15 times in a row to boost a rally outside the congressman’s office of U.S. Rep. Darrell Issa. The fine, costing $238, was later removed because the sheriff’s deputy did not attend the traffic court hearing. Nevertheless, she argued honking should have been protected by the First Amendment, especially when it shows support for a candidate or during special events. “The car horn is the sound of democracy in action”, her lawyers wrote in their appeal. The Supreme Court disagreed.
California is not the only State in the U.S. that has laws limiting car horns to traffic situations. New York, as well as Oregon, for instance, prohibit drivers to beep for anything other than as “reasonable warning.”
In 2020, when there were strict pandemic rules, President Joe Biden encouraged people to “honk if you want to be united again” during his campaign. The same happened to his opponent Donald Trump, who described the horns interrupting his remarks as a “sign of love” from his supporters.
