William O. Douglas

“ By like reason, where a permit has been arbitrarily denied one need not pursue the long and expensive route to this Court to obtain a remedy. The reason is the same in both cases. For if a person must pursue his judicial remedy before he may speak, parade, or assemble, the occasion when protest is desired or needed will have become history and any later speech, parade, or assembly will be futile or pointless. ”

“ The message stated that 'the normal rules of picketing' would be observed. The same day, Connor wired back a reply stating that he could not individually grant a permit, that it was the responsibility of the entire Commission and that he 'insist (ed) that you and your people do not start any picketing on the streets in Birmingham, Alabama.' Petitioners' efforts to show that the City Commission did not grant permits, but that they were granted by the city clerk at the request of the traffic division were cut off. ”

“ Those less affluent are restricted to the use of handbills (Murdock v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, 319 U.S. 105, 108, 63 S.Ct. 870, 872, 87 L.Ed. 1292) or petitions, or parades, or mass meetings. This 'right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievance,' guaranteed by the First Amendment, applicable to the States by reason of the Fourteenth (Edwards v. South Carolina, supra, 372 U.S. at 235, 83 S.Ct. at 683) , was flouted here.
The evidence shows that a permit was applied for. Mrs. ”

“ Valentine v. Chrestensen, 316 U.S. 52, 54, 62 S.Ct. 920, 921, 86 L.Ed. 1262; Jamison v. State of Texas, 318 U.S. 413, 415-416, 63 S.Ct. 669, 671-672, 87 L.Ed. 869.
The rich can buy advertisements in newspapers, purchase radio or television time, and rent billboard space. ”