No. 20-804 In the Supreme Court of the United States

No. 20-804

In the Supreme Court of the United States

HOUSTON COMMUNITY COLLEGE SYSTEM, PETITIONER v.

DAVID BUREN WILSON

ON WRIT OF CERTIORARI TO THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS

FOR THE FIFTH CIRCUIT

BRIEF FOR THE UNITED STATES AS AMICUS CURIAE SUPPORTING PETITIONER

ELIZABETH B. PRELOGAR Acting Solicitor General Counsel of Record

BRIAN M. BOYNTON Acting Assistant Attorney General

CURTIS E. GANNON Deputy Solicitor General

SOPAN JOSHI Assistant to the Solicitor General

MICHAEL S. RAAB LEIF OVERVOLD

Attorneys Department of Justice Washington, D.C. 20530-0001 SupremeCtBriefs@ (202) 514-2217

QUESTION PRESENTED

Whether the First Amendment prohibits an elected body from adopting a censure resolution in response to a member's speech.

(I)

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

Interest of the United States....................................................... 1 Statement ...................................................................................... 1 Summary of argument ................................................................. 6 Argument:

A. The First Amendment did not abrogate the longstanding power of elected bodies to discipline their members, including by censure...................................... 8

B. An elected body's censure resolution against a member is governmental speech that does not infringe that member's free-speech rights ................. 17

C. This Court need not address circumstances beyond the mere censure of a member of an elected body..... 21

Conclusion ................................................................................... 25

TABLE OF AUTHORITIES

Cases:

Block v. Meese, 793 F.2d 1303 (D.C. Cir.), cert denied, 478 U.S. 1021 (1986) ...................................... 19

Bogan v. Scott-Harris, 523 U.S. 44 (1998) .......................... 16 Bond v. Floyd, 385 U.S. 116 (1966) ...................................... 20 Chapman, In re, 166 U.S. 661 (1897)................................... 11 Garcetti v. Ceballos, 547 U.S. 410 (2006)............................. 24 Gravel v. United States, 408 U.S. 606 (1972) ................ 22, 23 Johanns v. Livestock Marketing Associaiton,

544 U.S. 550 (2005).............................................................. 18 Kilbourn v. Thompson, 103 U.S. 168 (1881) ................. 11, 22 Lake Country Estates, Inc. v. Tahoe Regional

Planning Agency, 440 U.S. 391 (1979) ............................. 15 New York Times Co. v. Sullivan,

376 U.S. 254 (1964)........................................................ 19, 20 New York Trust Co. v. Eisner, 256 U.S. 345 (1921) ........... 14

(III)

IV

Cases--Continued:

Page

Phelan v. Laramie County Community College Board of Trustees, 235 F.3d 1243 (10th Cir. 2000), cert. denied, 532 U.S. 1020 (2001) ................................... 3, 5

Pleasant Grove City v. Summum, 555 U.S. 460 (2009) .................................................................... 7, 17, 18, 19

Seila Law LLC v. CFPB, 140 S. Ct. 2183 (2020) ................ 14 Tenney v. Brandhove, 341 U.S. 367 (1951) ......................... 15 Town of Greece v. Galloway, 572 U.S. 565 (2014) .............. 14 Trump v. Mazars USA, LLP, 140 S. Ct. 2019 (2020) ........ 14 United States v. Brewster, 408 U.S. 501 (1972) .................. 23 United States v. Gaudin, 515 U.S. 506 (1995) .................... 14 Walker v. Texas Division, Sons of Confederate

Veterans, Inc., 576 U.S. 200 (2015) ............................. 18, 19 Williams-Yulee v. Florida Bar, 575 U.S. 433 (2015) ......... 24 Zilich v. Longo, 34 F.3d 359 (6th Cir. 1994),

cert. denied, 514 U.S. 1036 (1995) ..................................... 16

Constitution, statutes, regulations, and rule:

U.S. Const.: Art. I: ? 5: Cl. 1.......................................................................... 9 Cl. 2.................................................................... 9, 14 ? 6, Cl. 1 (Speech or Debate Clause).................. 15, 22 ? 9, Cl. 4 (Direct Tax Clause).................................... 15 Art. III........................................................................ 2, 3, 4 Amend. I.................................................................. passim Establishment Clause ............................................... 14 Free Speech Clause................................... 7, 18, 19, 20 Amend. VI ........................................................................ 14 Amend. X.......................................................................... 15

V

Constitution, statutes, regulations, and rule--Continued:

Page

Amend. XIV ....................................................... 3, 7, 12, 15 15 U.S.C. 7217(d)(2)-(3)......................................................... 23 28 U.S.C. 1331 .......................................................................... 3 28 U.S.C. 1441(a) ..................................................................... 3 28 U.S.C. 1446 .......................................................................... 3 28 U.S.C. 1447(c)...................................................................... 3 42 U.S.C. 1983 ...................................................................... 1, 3 Tex. Educ. Code (West 2020):

? 51.352(a)..................................................................... 2, 17 ? 51.352(a)(2) ...................................................................... 2 31 C.F.R.: Section 10.50(a)................................................................ 24 Section 10.51(a)(12) ......................................................... 24 Fed. R. Civ. P. 11(c)............................................................... 24

Miscellaneous:

Black's Law Dictionary (11th ed. 2019) ............................. 10 Robert H. Bork, Neutral Principles and Some First

Amendment Problems, 47 Ind. L.J. 1 (1971)................... 20 Dorian Bowman & Judith Farris Bowman, Article I,

Section 5: Congress' Power to Expel--An Exercise in Self-Restraint, 29 Syracuse L. Rev. 1071 (1978) ........ 12 Anne M. Butler & Wendy Wolff, United States Senate Election, Expulsion, and Censure Cases 1793-1990 (1995)................................................ 10, 11, 13, 23 Mary Patterson Clarke, Parliamentary Privilege in the American Colonies (1943) ........................8, 9, 11, 12, 23

VI

Miscellaneous--Continued:

Page

Congressional Research Service:

Jane A. Hudiburg & Christopher M. Davis, R45087, Resolutions to Censure the President: Procedure and History (Feb. 1, 2021) .............................................................. 22

Jack Maskell, RL 31382, Expulsion, Censure, Reprimand, and Fine: Legislative Discipline in the House of Representatives (June 27, 2016) ................................................................ 10, 11, 13

Jack Maskell & Richard S. Beth, RL34037, Congressional Censure and "No Confidence" Votes Regarding Public Officials (June 23, 2016) ........................................................... 22

Luther Stearns Cushing, Lex Parliamentaria Americana (1856) ................................................................. 9

2 Asher C. Hinds, Hinds' Precedents of the House of Representatives of the United States (1907).............. 13, 23

H.R. Res. 1074, 116th Cong. (2020) ..................................... 11

H.R. Res. 744, 111th Cong. (2009) ....................................... 14

James Madison, Report on the Virginia Resolutions (1800), in The Virginia Report of 1799-1800, Touching the Alien and Sedition Laws (J.W. Randolph 1850) ..................................................................................... 20

2 The Oxford English Dictionary (2d ed. 1989) ................. 10

Punishment by the House of Representatives No Bar to an Indictment, 2 Op. Att'y Gen. 655 (1834) ................................................ 23

2 The Records of the Federal Convention of 1787 (Max Farrand ed., rev. ed. 1966)....................................... 10

2 Joseph Story, Commentaries on the Constitution of the United States (1833)................................................. 16

In the Supreme Court of the United States

No. 20-804 HOUSTON COMMUNITY COLLEGE SYSTEM, PETITIONER

v. DAVID BUREN WILSON

ON WRIT OF CERTIORARI TO THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS

FOR THE FIFTH CIRCUIT

BRIEF FOR THE UNITED STATES AS AMICUS CURIAE SUPPORTING PETITIONER

INTEREST OF THE UNITED STATES

This case concerns whether the First Amendment's free-speech protection abridges the power of an elected body to censure one of its members. The United States has a substantial interest in the resolution of that question. The United States House of Representatives and Senate have censured and otherwise disciplined their Members throughout the Nation's history, including because of Members' speech. Some federal agencies have authority to censure individuals, including governmental officials, in certain circumstances. The United States also has a substantial interest in the correct interpretation and application of the federal Constitution.

STATEMENT

Respondent asserted causes of action under 42 U.S.C. 1983 in a state-court suit, alleging that petitioner

(1)

2

violated his First Amendment rights. The case was removed to the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas. The district court dismissed the complaint for lack of Article III standing. Pet. App. 20a-28a. The court of appeals reversed. Id. at 1a-19a.

1. Petitioner is a public entity operating community colleges in and around Houston, Texas. Pet. App. 2a. From 2013 to 2019, respondent was an elected member of the board of trustees that governs that school system. Id. at 2a, 5a. The board is charged with "exercis[ing] the traditional and time-honored role for such boards as their role has evolved in the United States." Tex. Educ. Code Ann. ? 51.352(a) (West 2020). Among its statutory responsibilities is to "enhance the public image of each institution under its governance." Id. ? 51.352(a)(2).

During respondent's tenure as an elected trustee, he repeatedly "voiced concern that [the other] trustees were violating the Board's bylaws and not acting in the best interests of" the school system. Pet. App. 3a. Respondent "arrang[ed] robocalls regarding the Board's actions," gave "interview[s] with a local radio station," filed multiple suits against petitioner and the other trustees in state court, "hired a private investigator" to investigate one of the other trustees, and "maintained a website where he published his concerns." Ibid.

In January 2018, the board adopted a resolution of censure against respondent. Pet. App. 3a-4a; see id. at 42a-45a (copy of resolution). The board determined that respondent had violated its bylaws by failing to "(1) respect the board's collective decision-making process; (2) engage in open and honest discussions in making board decisions; (3) respect trustees' differing opinions; (4) interact with trustees in a mutually respectful manner; and (5) act in Houston Community College System's

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