{"id":14846,"date":"2018-11-14T19:00:00","date_gmt":"2018-11-15T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aclu-md.org\/press-releases\/victory-activist-groups-secure-settlement-protects-free-speech-lawyers-mall\/"},"modified":"2018-11-14T19:00:00","modified_gmt":"2018-11-15T00:00:00","slug":"victory-activist-groups-secure-settlement-protects-free-speech-lawyers-mall","status":"publish","type":"press_release","link":"https:\/\/www.aclu-md.org\/press-releases\/victory-activist-groups-secure-settlement-protects-free-speech-lawyers-mall\/","title":{"rendered":"Victory: Activist Groups Secure Settlement that Protects Free Speech at Lawyers\u2019 Mall"},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":""},"class_list":["post-14846","press_release","type-press_release","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":{"subheading":"","date_and_time":"2018-11-14 19:00:00","featured_image":null,"components":[{"acf_fc_layout":"migrated","migrated":{"migrated":"
State Regulations Changed to No Longer Block Solicitation During Demonstrations<\/em><\/div>
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ANNAPOLIS \u2013 Heartened that an unconstitutional free speech restriction at Lawyer\u2019s Mall will be lifted for those engaging in free speech activities aimed at legislators and the governor, several Anne Arundel-based activist groups today announced a settlement in their case that successfully challenged a Maryland regulation that prohibited soliciting donations and political support at the iconic location. The groups \u2013 March on Maryland, Anne Arundel County Indivisible Coalition, Caucus of African American Leaders, and the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr Committee \u2013 were represented by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Maryland.\u00a0<\/div>
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\u201cIt is imperative that we stay vigilant when it comes to our First Amendment rights, especially in the current political climate,\u201d said Eve Hurwitz, Director of March on Maryland. \u201cI am grateful for the assistance and support of my fellow activists and the ACLU for being our champion. Hopefully, we do not have to take legal action like this again to protect our community\u2019s right to free speech.\u201d<\/div>
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The settlement amount of $96,000 will compensate the groups for fundraising they were not allowed to do at Lawyer\u2019s Mall, in addition to reimburse litigation fees and costs incurred when the State refused to alter the regulation voluntarily, unnecessarily forcing the groups to file suit in order to bring it into compliance with the Constitution.\u00a0<\/div>
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In Fall 2017, the Anne Arundel groups experienced two instances when the unconstitutional regulation limited their right to solicit support. First, March on Maryland and Indivisible organized a March for Racial Justice in Annapolis and were blocked from selling tickets during the rally to the Fannie Lou Hamer Awards dinner scheduled for later that day in Annapolis. Second, March on Maryland, Anne Arundel County Indivisible, and the Caucus of African American Leaders sought to organize a candlelight vigil for victims of the mass shooting in Las Vegas and to raise funds to help cover medical costs for a victim from Anne Arundel County. However, they were blocked from doing so by Department of General Services (DGS) police, citing rules prohibiting solicitation on state grounds.\u00a0<\/div>
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\u201cWe are thrilled that this settlement will help ensure that no one\u2019s civil liberties are compromised at the state\u2019s foremost public square,\u201d said Carl Snowden, Convenor of the Caucus of African American Leaders. \u201cThe DGS regulations were an unacceptable abridgment of the public's freedom of speech rights.\u201d<\/div>
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During the 2018 General Assembly session, the ACLU wrote to DGS asking them to voluntarily cease enforcement of the rule, but DGS officials refused, claiming the rule was enforceable, while not disputing the ACLU\u2019s legal analysis. The lawsuit was filed in March, and it noted that constitutional speech protections are at their highest in areas that the public historically and traditionally has used to engage in the sharing of ideas and information. Graced by a statue of constitutional hero Thurgood Marshall, Lawyers\u2019 Mall historically has served as an open forum for public use in statehouse demonstrations, protests and gatherings, and thus is clearly a \u201ctraditional public forum\u201d that allows the broadest free expression. In addition, the Supreme Court long ago ruled that political soliciting and solicitation of monetary donations constitute protected speech under the First Amendment.\u00a0 Yet both were prohibited by the DGS rule.<\/div>
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\"Plainly, it shouldn\u2019t have taken a lawsuit for the State to recognize and protect the free speech rights of its residents at a quintessential gathering place for speakers like Lawyers\u2019 Mall, but the State chose here to force the matter into court,\u201d said Deborah Jeon, Legal Director for the ACLU of Maryland. \u201cToday, we celebrate the efforts of the Annapolis activists who stood up for the Constitution in the face of State opposition, and secured protection for all Marylanders through this settlement.\u201d<\/div>
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Plaintiffs March on Maryland Inc., Anne Arundel County Indivisible Coalition, the Caucus of African American Leaders, the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Committee, Eve Hurwitz, Monica Lindsey, Yasemin Jamison, Vickie Gipson, and Carl Snowden are represented by William R. Stein and Tabitha Bartholomew of Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP, and by Deborah Jeon, Legal Director for the ACLU of Maryland.<\/div>
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Learn more at the ACLU of Maryland website:\u00a0www.aclu-md.org<\/a><\/div>
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###<\/div>
\u00a0<\/div>"}}],"use_default_media_contact":false,"name":"

Meredith Curtis Goode, 443-310-9946, media@aclu-md.org<\/a><\/p>","email":"","phone":"","address":{"address_1":"","address_2":"","city":"","state":"","zip_code":"","country":"United States"},"pgp_public_key":"","spokesperson":null,"related_content":[],"issues":[5402],"toggle-pdf":true,"documents":null},"yoast_head":"\nVictory: Activist Groups Secure Settlement that Protects Free Speech at Lawyers\u2019 Mall - ACLU of Maryland<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"State Regulations Changed to No Longer Block Solicitation During Demonstrations\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.aclu-md.org\/es\/press-releases\/victory-activist-groups-secure-settlement-protects-free-speech-lawyers-mall\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"es_ES\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Victory: Activist Groups Secure Settlement that Protects Free Speech at Lawyers\u2019 Mall - 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