672
Breyer, J., dissenting
482, 486. The California Supreme Court considered nine specific instances of Nike's communications—those upon which Kasky says he based his legal claims. Brief for Respondent 5. These include (1) a letter from Nike's Director of Sports Marketing to university presidents and athletic directors presenting "facts" about Nike's labor practices; (2) a 30-page illustrated pamphlet about those practices; (3) a press release (posted on Nike's Web site) commenting on those practices; (4) a posting on Nike's Web site about its "code of conduct"; (5) a document on Nike's letterhead sharing its "perspective" on the labor controversy; (6) a press release responding to "[s]weatshop [a]llegations"; (7) a letter from Nike's Director of Labor Practices to the Chief Executive Officer of YWCA of America, discussing criticisms of its labor practices; (8) a letter from Nike's European public relations manager to a representative of International Restructuring Education Network Europe, discussing Nike's practices; and (9) a letter to the editor of The New York Times taking issue with a columnist's criticisms of Nike's practices. Ibid.; see also Lodging of Petitioners 121-125, 182-191, 198-230, 270, 285, 322-324. The California Supreme Court then held that all this speech was "commercial speech" and consequently the "governmen[t] may entirely prohibit" that speech if it is "false or misleading." 27 Cal. 4th, at 946, 45 P. 3d, at 247.
The California Supreme Court thus "finally decided" the federal issue—whether the First Amendment protects the speech in question from legal attack on the ground that it is "false or misleading." According to the California Supreme Court, nothing at all remains to be decided with respect to that federal question. If we permit the California Supreme Court's decision to stand, in all likelihood this litigation will now simply seek to determine whether Nike's statements were false or misleading, and perhaps whether Nike was negligent in making those statements—matters involving questions of California law.
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