Is free speech protected at shopping malls?

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The shopping mall is sometimes described as the new American gathering place, the modern replacement for Main Street. But a mall is different from a street or a public square in one important respect: it's private property. And the right to speak, or to to preach, picket, or hand out leaflets, usually does not apply on private property. Free speech advocates argue that shopping malls function like public places so First Amendment rights should be recognized there. That argument has had mixed success in the courts. Minnesota Public Radio's John Biewen reports.

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Digitization made possible by the State of Minnesota Legacy Amendment’s Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund, approved by voters in 2008.

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