DOING TOM PAINE PROUD

The Supreme Court, extolling the "honorable tradition" of pamphleteering, ruled that people have a constitutional right to hand out anonymous political leaflets. The 7-2 decision struck down an Ohio law that banned campaign fliers that did not carry the sponsor's name and address. Similar provisions in other states are expected to fall. "Under our Constitution, anonymous pamphleteering is not a pernicious, fraudulent practice, but an honorable tradition of advocacy and dissent," Justice John Paul Stevens wrote for the court. "Anonymity is a shield from the tyranny of the majority."