Although a federal judge ruled yesterday that the city is constitutionally allowed to limit events on Central Park’s Great Lawn, he also said a separate trial was necessary to determine whether the city violated the First Amendment rights of certain groups by not allowing them to stage a protest on the Great Lawn during the Republican National Convention in 2004. The groups involved in the case say the city claimed it was trying to prevent damage to the lawn as a pretext for not allowing the protest, since other large groups like the Metropolitan Opera have been allowed to use the space for events. The judge said in his ruling that there is “evidence” the city disfavors rallies on the space, which would be a constitutional violation. more [NYT]
Trending