Which case invalidated a local ordinance requiring participants to pay law enforcement costs for demonstrations and empowering the county administrator to determine how much to charge a group seeking a permit for a demonstration?

• A. Forsyth County v. Nationalist Movement (1992)
• B. Chandler v. Miller (1997)
• C. Ballew v. Georgia (1978)
• D. Gregg v. Georgia (1976)

Answer: (A)

The key idea here is protecting speech from government fees that can suppress it. The Supreme Court in Forsyth County v. Nationalist Movement struck down a local ordinance that charged groups for police protection at demonstrations and allowed officials to set the amount based on the group’s message and identity. Because the fee amount could be determined in a discretionary, content-based way, it opened the door to viewpoint discrimination and punishment of certain speakers. The ruling makes it clear that any fee for demonstrations must be tied to actual, neutral security costs and set by objective standards, not by officials' subjective judgments about the speech. That’s why this case fits the scenario described.