A resident of Ladue, Missouri was told that a small paper sign which she made and
displayed in her second floor window was a violation of a city ordinance.
The sign read: "For Peace in the Gulf.' The city said its ordinance made a reasonable
distinction, allowing signs that are not likely to "proliferate," like a
'for sale" sign or a sign identifying a building, while forbidden those that have no natural
numerical limit, such as those expressing political opinions. The U.S.
Court of Appeals ruled that the sign ordinance impermissibly treated different signs
differently on the basis of their message and favored commercial speech
over non-commercial speech.