Supreme Court May Consider If States Can Ban Honking at Political Rallies

The Supreme Court may soon consider whether honking a car horn is a constitutionally protected form of free speech. Although Americans have long sounded the horns of their vehicles to express themselves politically, many states, including California, forbid honking the horn on one’s automobile except to warn of a safety hazard. Officials say hitting the horn excessively dilutes the effectiveness of honking as a means of signaling danger or facilitating the flow of traffic. The justices are scheduled to consider the case, known as Porter v. Martinez (court file 23-423), at their private conference on Dec. 1. The case will move forward to the oral argument stage if at least four of the nine justices vote to grant the petition for certiorari, or review. The justices could make this decision on Dec. 1, or they could leave it for a subsequent private conference....