first amendment

“There’s a reason the First Amendment — the freedom of speech — comes before all others,” he said.

Tom Leatherbury, who directs the First Amendment Clinic at Southern Methodist University’s Dedman School of Law, said companies took advantage of the ruling.

“Stopping this law before its January 1 deadline was critical to businesses and the protection of their First Amendment rights,” said Daryl Joseffer, executive vice president and chief counsel at the Chamber’s litigation center.

David Maltinsky filed the lawsuit Wednesday in the federal district court in Washington, D.C., and is alleging his dismissal violated the First Amendment and his equal-protection rights.

The First Amendment applies to government, not private business.