Judge: Bush protesters unfairly blocked

[New Dawn]

Source: AP

Thu Mar 20, 10:49 PM ET

WASHINGTON - The National Park Service violated an anti-war group's First Amendment rights by excluding them from major parts of President Bush's 2005 inaugural parade route, a federal judge ruled Thursday.

The ANSWER Coalition claimed in its lawsuit that the Park Service illegally denied protesters and the general public access to areas of Pennsylvania Avenue that were reserved for ticketed guests approved by the Presidential Inaugural Committee.

U.S. District Judge Paul Friedman noted in his ruling that the inauguration "is not a private event," and that the Park Service violated its own regulations by favoring government supporters over critics during the permit process.

"We think this is a very significant victory with very far-reaching consequences for the government's attempt to restrict access to public events," said Mara Verheyden-Hilliard, an attorney for ANSWER.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080321/ap_on_re_us/inauguration_protests

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This is a good legal victory.

[Lasher]

1. Too bad they didn't get the emergency injunction.

Now you can hardly go back and undo the damage. I saw no mention of any recourse or penalty.

[snot]

2. Justice delayed is justice denied.

Attributed to WILLIAM E. GLADSTONE.-Laurence J. Peter, Peter's Quotations, p. 276 (1977)

[bean fidhleir]

3. And paper victories are worth no more than the paper

I wonder how many people are naive enough to think that the dirtbags won't do it again next time. The victory is in successful keeping people away, not in the long-afterward court declaration that it was illegal.

Now, if that court decision had included a judgement against the defendents to personally pay $10K to each of the excluded protesters, THAT would be a meaningful victory. But this kind of "victory" is almost insulting.

[saigon68]

4. And because its on bond paper

You have a hard time wiping your ass with it.

[bean fidhleir]

7. Very good point! (nt)

[pleah]

5. It took 3 years for this!

[bean fidhleir]

6. Sure. That empasizes how little meaning there is in it

It was done purely for the look of the thing, and near the end of BushCo's reign so that it's doubly meaningless.

It will be interesting to see how many Bush pardons, and whom.

[gratuitous]

8. Mission accomplished, baby!

Just in time for the next inauguration, where fanatic protestors will be given pride of place all along the route for the new Democratic president, and the fiction will be promulgated that from the very first President Obama or President Clinton is hugely unpopular. Not like his or her predecessor.

It's a good victory, but all it will take for the next Republican president (if we're ever stupid enough to do that again) will simply declare some unspecified national security concern, and hey presto! demonstrators disappear.

[floridablue]

9. The inagural committe should have to dig up financial

compensation for the offended parties. Maybe I could go back and collect from the Tampa Police for refusing to allow me to hold the protest sign above my head back in 01.