
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, February 24, 1994                   TAG: 9402240197
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A-7   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: WASHINGTON                                LENGTH: Short

FREE SPEECH OR BEAUTY?

A small anti-war sign taped to a window became an issue at the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday: Can a city's goal of eliminating visual clutter violate an individual's right to free speech?

The court's ruling in the case of the City of Ladue vs. Margaret P. Gilleo could have an impact on laws intended to cut down on billboards, lawyers said.

Gilleo was cited for violating an ordinance in the St. Louis suburb in 1991, when she taped a piece of paper to her bedroom window that read "For Peace in the Gulf," during the Persian Gulf War.

In his argument, the attorney for Ladue said the ordinance protects the suburb's "unique esthetic character" and prevents signs from spilling over from neighboring suburbs.

Gilleo's attorney said the sign ban violates free speech laws, particularly because it prevents people from expressing themselves on their own property. "We're talking about a citizen's right to speak from her own home," he said.

The high court did not indicate when it would rule.

by CNB