The Legacy: Kreimer v. Bureau of Police, Twenty Years Later

摘要

A homeless man's lawsuit against a public library went to federal court 20 years ago, leaving a legacy of constitutional law that balances the rights of library customers against the responsibilities of library administrators. The case, Kreimer v. Bureau of Police, has come to stand for the proposition that there is a First Amendment right to receive information. A corollary of this principle is that a library can violate the Constitution if it unfairly expels a customer. At the same time, however, the court recognized that appropriate conduct is essential for the operation of a public library. For this reason, the Kreimer case established that library administrators can and should adopt behavior policies that allow all members of the public to use the library.