BALTIMORE — A group of pro-life advocates represented by attorneys with the Alliance Defense Fund will no longer be threatened with fines for holding signs on a public sidewalk. As part of an agreement to resolve the lawsuit, Montgomery County, Md., officials have agreed to drop a written policy that banned holding signs and caused County officials to silence pro-life citizens.
“Pro-life advocates should not be fined for exercising their First Amendment right to free speech,” said ADF Legal Counsel Matt Bowman. “We are pleased that Montgomery County officials have revised their policy regarding signs and will no longer censor those who choose to peacefully express their views on a public sidewalk.”
On July 31, approximately 40 pro-life advocates with the group Defend Life gathered at an intersection in Montgomery County in an attempt to present their message to passing motorists. A representative of the Department of Permitting Services told the sign-holders that they were violating state and county laws that prohibit holding signs on a public sidewalk.
In addition, the group was told that it must immediately remove the signs or pay a fine of $500 per sign. The group left the area rather than pay the fines. ADF attorneys filed suit on behalf of the pro-life advocates Oct. 12 (
www.telladf.org/news/story.aspx?cid=4270).
On Jan. 9, county officials sent a letter to Defend Life, expressing “regret that there was a misunderstanding on the part of the county personnel” and stating that they “sincerely regret any actions that risked impairment of the rights to assembly and free speech.” The letter may be read at
www.telladf.org/UserDocs/DefendLifeLetter.pdf.
For more than three years, a policy posted on the county Web site stated that the holding or waving of signs was prohibited. That policy is now dropped as part of settlement of the lawsuit,
Defend Life v. Montgomery County, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, Northern Division.
ADF is a legal alliance defending the right to hear and speak the Truth through strategy, training, funding, and litigation.
www.telladf.org