Is horn honking protected free speech? The Supreme Court to decide

Did you know that in some states a friendly tap on the car horn celebrating a sports team or just for saying "I'm here" or "goodbye", can be illegal? The U.S. Supreme Court will soon decide on an odd car-related case: whether honking a car horn as a show of support is protected by the First Amendment of the Constitution.

The case began in 2017, when 69-year-old Susan Porter of Oceanside, California, honked to show solidarity with protesters outside the office of her local congressman. She was immediately issued a ticket by a sheriff's deputy.

"He said, 'illegal use of horn' and gave me the ticket," Porter told USA Today.

The California vehicle code states that the only two legal uses of a car horn are to give an audible warning to another driver, and as part of an anti-theft device. However, the law is rarely enforced and the practice of honking situations that fall outside those narrow definitions is widespread. In fact, Porter's case was dismissed in California's traffic court when the deputy issuing the ticket failed to appear.