4 canonical passages across 3 cases, quoted by 26 opinions in total. These passages cluster together because the same opinions keep quoting them side by side — they state parts of one doctrine. The anchor passage is from Federal Election Commission v. Massachusetts Citizens for Life, Inc..
| # | Case | Flag | Canonical passage | Citers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Federal Election Commission v. Massachusetts Citizens for Life, Inc. Anchor | green | “where at all possible, government must curtail speech only to the degree necessary to meet the particular problem at hand, and must avoid infringing on speech that does not pose the danger that has prompted regulation.” | 13 |
| 2 | Thompson v. Western States Medical Center | green | “if the first amendment means anything, it means that regulating speech must be a last - not first - resort.” | 6 |
| 3 | Thomas D. Carver v. Jeremiah W. Nixon, Attorney General, State of Missouri John Maupin, Chair, Missouri Ethics Commission | green | “subject to the closest scrutiny.” | 4 |
A red or yellow flag on a member means the underlying case has negative treatment — for those, check the case page before relying on the passage.