Can a public library ban extremists from using library meeting rooms and facilities?
A library cannot decide whom to allow to use its meeting rooms and facilities on the basis of the content of the user’s speech. The First Amendment to the United States Constitution guarantees the right of freedom of speech to all Americans, even groups whose opinions are reprehensible. To place an outright ban on the speech of certain groups would be unconstitutional and contrary to a fundamental tenet of American democracy. However, libraries are not required to make themselves available as a public forum. Unlike traditional public forums, such as parks and sidewalks, where the government cannot restrict speech except for reasonable time, place and manner restrictions, public institutions such as libraries, which provide specific services, do not need to be made available for use by the general public. A library can decide to make its meeting rooms and facilities available to the public, and it can determine how broadly it wants its meeting rooms and facilities to be available. It is
