Ad Groups Back Nike In Supreme Court Brief

Do corporations have the right to defend themselves in the court of public opinion? That question is at the heart of the Nike v. Kasky case to be argued before the U.S. Supreme Court in April, and advertising lobby groups are worried that a gag order is about to be imposed on corporate speech.

Three advertising trade associations filed a “friend of the court” brief last Friday. In it, they argued that the Supreme Court should overturn a California Supreme Court ruling that public statements Nike made about its overseas labor practices constituted commercial speech and were therefore subject to claims of false and deceptive advertising.