Which item is listed as a typical exception to First Amendment protection?

• A. True threats
• B. Commercial advertising
• C. Public endorsements
• D. Parliamentary privilege

Answer: (B)

Not every kind of speech enjoys full protection from the First Amendment; some categories are treated as exceptions where government regulation is allowed. Commercial advertising is commonly taught as a typical exception because it serves commercial interests and can affect consumer decisions and market efficiency. Courts allow regulation of ads to prevent deception, false claims, and other harms, often using the Central Hudson framework to evaluate when such regulation is permissible. This gives advertising a lower but still meaningful level of protection compared to core political or personal expression.

Public endorsements are generally protected political speech, so they don’t fit the typical exception. Parliamentary privilege isn’t a First Amendment issue in the U.S. framework, but rather a broader constitutional principle governing legislative speech. True threats are also unprotected, but they’re a different, more specific category of exception and not the standard example emphasized in introductory treatments of First Amendment exceptions.