The bill may be legally challenged under First Amendment grounds and applies to the sale and display of “hate” symbols on public state land. Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed a bill Tuesday banning the sale of so-called hate symbols such as Confederate flags and neo-Nazi swastikas on state land. The bill is effective immediately, though Cuomo cautioned the law may need refining to escape First Amendment free speech challenges. “This country faces a pervasive, growing attitude of intolerance and hate — what I have referred to in the body politic as an American cancer. By limiting the display and sale of the confederate flag, Nazi swastika and other symbols of hatred from being displayed or sold on state property, including the state fairgrounds, this will help safeguard New Yorkers from the fear-installing effects of these abhorrent symbols,” Cuomo penned in the bill’s approval.
via patch: Cuomo Signs Bill Banning Sale Of Confederate, Nazi Flags