{"id":296727,"date":"2023-08-17T13:09:05","date_gmt":"2023-08-17T18:09:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/?p=296727"},"modified":"2023-08-17T11:02:30","modified_gmt":"2023-08-17T16:02:30","slug":"court-appeals-favor-pro-life-free-speech","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/court-appeals-favor-pro-life-free-speech\/","title":{"rendered":"Court of Appeals in DC rules in favor of pro-life groups’ free speech rights"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>

On Tuesday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit upheld two major pro-life groups\u2019 freedom of speech by ruling according to the First Amendment.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Two years ago, in 2020, members of Students for Life of America (SFLA) and the Frederick Douglass Foundation showed up to their permitted gathering and were immediately told they could neither paint their message with temporary paint nor use sidewalk chalk<\/a> to write their messages. According to a Live Action News report<\/a> at the time, “An SFLA staff member told Live Action News that the group had a permit to assemble but had received additional verbal permission from the police department to paint with temporary paint. SFLA said that both the group\u2019s letter to the mayor and its permit application made clear their intention to paint.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Though D.C. public officials told pro-life groups they could not paint their messages with temporary paint, those same officials had allowed other groups to paint messages on the streets; Black Lives Matter groups painted the \u201cBlack Lives Matter\u201d message across the streets with permanent<\/strong> paint and were <\/span>not arrested<\/span><\/a> \u2014\u00a0not even when they added \u201cDefund the Police\u201d to their message.<\/span><\/p>\n

The two students who continued to chalk the message, \u201cBlack Pre-born Lives Matter,\u201d were <\/span>arrested, detained, and later released<\/span><\/a>. At that time, Students for Life stated, <\/span>\u201cWith these threats and arrests, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser has made her motives clear as she apparently only thinks that SOME Black Lives Matter and that only SOME slogans are allowed to be painted on streets.”<\/span><\/p>\n

READ: Pro-abortion activists oppose free speech, and a history of disruptions at pro-life events proves i<\/em><\/a>t<\/strong><\/p>\n

Now, Alliance Defending Freedom has secured a victory for free speech after representing both SFLA and the Frederick Douglass Foundation in the lawsuit.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cEvery American deserves for their voice to be heard as they engage in important cultural and political issues of the day,\u201d said ADF Senior Counsel Erin Hawley, vice president of the ADF Center for Life and Regulatory Practice, who argued before the court on behalf of the pro-life organizations.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe government may not enforce the laws in a manner that picks winners and losers in public debates,\u201d the D.C. Circuit wrote in its <\/span>opinion<\/span><\/a> reversing the decision of a lower court in <\/span>The Frederick Douglass Foundation v. District of Columbia<\/span><\/i>. \u201cIt would undermine the First Amendment\u2019s protections for free speech if the government could enact a content-neutral law and then discriminate against disfavored viewpoints under the cover of prosecutorial discretion.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Students for Life of America has been very vocal about how this win is essential to further freedom of speech. SFLA<\/span> President Kristan Hawkins lauded the outcome as a triumph for pro-life advocates and free speech advocates alike.\u00a0<\/span>\u201cViewpoint discrimination is un-American, and, as the case proceeds, we look forward to learning more about how D.C. officials picked winners and losers in their enforcement,” Hawkins said.<\/span><\/p>\n

This pivotal ruling<\/span><\/a> serves as a reminder of the fundamental right to free expression and its role in a democratic society. As the legal battle continues, the precedent set by this case promises to shape future discussion on the freedom of speech and uphold the constitutional rights of all Americans to engage in open dialogue on matters of such importance.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On Tuesday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit upheld two major pro-life groups\u2019 freedom of speech by ruling according to the First Amendment.\u00a0 Two years ago, in 2020, members of Students for Life of America (SFLA) and the Frederick Douglass Foundation showed up to their permitted gathering and were immediately told they […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":947,"featured_media":228254,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false},"categories":[2793],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nCourt of Appeals in DC rules in favor of pro-life groups' free speech rights<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"On Tuesday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. 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