Constitutional Council of the French Republic
11 October 1984
In this case, the Constitutional Court ruled that the principle proclaimed in article 11 of the Declaration of 1789 (freedom of expression) does not preclude the legislature, which is competent under to lay down "rules concerning civic rights and the fundamental guarantees granted to citizens for the exercise of public freedoms", from enacting rules concerning the exercise of the right of free communication and the freedom to speak, write and print. However, as this is a fundamental freedom, all the more precious in that its exercise is one of the essential guarantees of respect for other rights and freedoms and for national sovereignty, the law may only regulate its exercise in order to make it more effective or to reconcile it with that of other rules or principles of constitutional value.