Louisiana Court Affirms Christian Protester's Free Speech Rights
CONTACT: media@aclu.org
ACLU of Louisiana Lawsuit Forces Repeal of Illegal Natchitoches Permit Laws
NATCHITOCHES, LA - The American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana today
announced a federal court's decision in its free speech lawsuit on behalf of
Christian protester Edwin Crayton, whose rights were violated by Natchitoches'
unconstitutional permit requirements.
In October of 2006, Crayton
peacefully picketed for about 40 minutes on a public sidewalk in Natchitoches
with a sign that said: "Christians: Wal-Mart Supports Gay Lifestyles And
Marriage. Don't Shop There." He was then approached by a Natchitoches
police officer who refused to allow him to continue protesting without obtaining
a permit. Despite the passage of several weeks after application for a
permit, the mayor failed to approve Crayton's request, which resulted in the
ACLU of Louisiana lawsuit.
"We celebrate this victory for free
speech and applaud the wise decision of Natchitoches to repeal these ordinances,
which were repugnant to the Constitution to every person in the city and
specifically to Mr. Crayton," said Joe Cook, Executive Director, ACLU of
Louisiana. "The City Council knew or should have known better than to put
such a law on the books in the first place that effectively stifled free
expression in public places."
In November of 2006, the
court issued a preliminary order that prevented the city from requiring Crayton
to obtain a permit before protesting. Subsequently, the city repealed the
offending ordinances, and agreed to an order declaring them unconstitutional.
Additionally, Crayton was awarded one dollar in nominal damages, which served as
a symbolic acknowledgement of the harm done to him.
"Mr. Crayton
brought this lawsuit to vindicate his right to be heard on a matter of great
religious significance to him," said Katie Schwartzmann, a staff attorney for
the ACLU of Louisiana. "He was never concerned about recovering money from
the city. He just wanted the unconstitutional laws off of the books, and for the
city to learn that it is unacceptable to interfere with someone's constitutional
rights."
ACLU cooperating attorney Jane Johnson and Schwartzmann
served as counsel for Crayton.
The court's order is online at: www.laaclu.org/PDF_documents/Crayton_Finaldecree.pdf