Good riddance to 2020, which will likely be remembered as the Year of Covid, along with the economic downturn, racial and social tensions, political upheaval, and other challenges sparked by the pandemic. Indeed, my first two legal predictions for the outdoor advertising industry in 2021 are also largely influenced by […]
On October 27th, Amy Coney Barrett was sworn in as the third and most recent of President Trump’s nominations to the Supreme Court, joining Justices Kavanaugh and Gorsuch. The “new” Supreme Court is decidedly conservative, led by Chief Justice Roberts, Justices Alito and Thomas, and now, Kavanaugh, Gorsuch, and Barrett. […]
In the September 11, 2019 edition of Billboard Insider, I discussed the Texas administrative rules making process, including how the Texas Administrative Procedures Act (“APA”) encourages public participation and transparency throughout this process, by mandating where and when to publish proposed rules, and opportunity for public comment on them in […]
Chris Cowlbeck and his staff at IBOUSA have done it again! For the second time in this fateful year of 2020, they’ve managed to plan a fun and informative LIVE and IN PERSON Fall Conference on October 7 through 9. And, rather than in Louisville or Minneapolis, this conference is […]
On September 4, 2020, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals in International Outdoor, Inc vs City of Troy issued a mostly procedurally technical decision, but perhaps more importantly, announced that “a regulation of commercial speech that is not content-neutral is still subject to strict scrutiny under Reed.” Specifically, International sought […]
I just finished a big trial for an outdoor advertising company against the State over alleged violations of various administrative regulations, including those imposing a minimum distance between signs and ramps. These types of location, spacing, and proximity regulations are usually pretty straight forward and easy to interpret. In this […]
Billboard Insider gets a lot of questions from readers, and especially in light of the upcoming election, on political billboard advertising in particular. Here’s a recent example: “We have a person here in Vegas that wants to run some pro Trump messaging on our units. He is not affiliated with […]
Yesterday, I reported on Part 1 of the Tennessee Billboard Law Fix, under which Governor Bill Lee signed into law an amendment to Tennessee’s Highway Beautification Act, thereby “curing” the First Amendment defects found by the District and Circuit Courts in Thomas vs Bright. However, while the Tennessee Act is […]
As Billboard Insider reported in its June 25th edition, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee signed into law last week HB 2255, which is designed to fix the First Amendment challenges to Tennessee’s version of the Highway Beautification Act raised in the Thomas vs Bright case. Thomas secured rulings from the Federal […]
Covid 19 has unfortunately caused cancellation of the IBOUSA Spring conference in Louisville. Nevertheless, Chris Cowlbeck and his staff at IBOUSA have planned a remote alternative through a Zoom meeting, along with a smaller group attending personally in Ardmore, on May 20. As usual, there’s a great line up of […]
