The majority rejected the argument that the First Amendment rights of a corporation derive purely from their business and property interests. Furthermore, the Court asserted that "the Court's decisions involving corporations in the business of communication or entertainment are based not only on the role of the First Amendment in fostering individual self-expression, but also on its role in affording the public access to discussion, debate, and the dissemination of information and ideas". The Supreme Court cited "Virginia State Board of Pharmacy v. Virginia Citizens Consumer Council", in which the Court held that whether "the advertiser's interest in a commercial advertisement is purely economic does not disqualify him from protection under the First and Fourteenth Amendments. Both the individual consumer and society in general may have strong interests in the free flow of commercial information." The Court found that there was no evidence that corporations lost speech protections if their speech did not materially affect the business of the corporation. Thus, the Court held the statute violated the First Amendment rights of the corporation.