Court Rules D.C.'s Tour Guide Regulations Are 'Unconstitutional'

Under D.C. regulations, it's illegal for anyone operating under the guise of a "tour guide" to lead a paid tour without having passed a 100-question test and paid the city $200 for a license. However, a federal appeals court ruled today that those regulations, that the city has enforced for 110 years, are unconstitutional.

"In Washington, D.C., it is illegal to talk about points of interest or the history of the city while escorting or guiding a person who paid you to do so—that is, unless you pay the government $200 and pass a 100-question multiple-choice exam," Judge Janice Rogers Brown wrote in her opinion. "Finding the record wholly devoid of evidence supporting the burdens the challenged regulations impose on Appellants’ speech, we reverse and remand," it ultimately decided in a 3-0 vote.