Ladue v. Gilleo

Margaret P. Gilleo, a citizen of Ladue, Missouri, placed a sign outside her home calling for an end to the Persian Gulf War. The city informed her that her sign was banned under a local law which prohibited signs in residential areas. Its justification for banning the sign was that widespread display of signs would make the city look cluttered and ugly. Gilleo fought to keep her sign where it was and won a case in district court stopping the city from enforcing its ordinance. She then placed another sign, reading "For Peace in the Gulf," in her front window. The Ladue City Council responded by passing a new law that banned all signs over a certain size that were not covered by ten specific exemptions (such as "For Sale" and "Beware of Dog" signs). The city hoped this new ban would pass constitutional muster. Margaret Gilleo believed it violated her right to free speech and filed a new action in district court challenging the revised law.