Evangelist Challenging "Speech Zone" Wins Supreme Court Battle To Block Enforcement Of Restrictive Ordinance

Evangelist Challenging "Speech Zone" Wins Supreme Court Battle To Block Enforcement Of Restrictive Ordinance

Law enforcement officers raised concerns about public demonstrations such as Gabriel Olivier's preaching, prompting city leaders to enact an ordinance that requires protesters and other demonstrators to remain within a designated protest area. Olivier was arrested for violating this ordinance after he left the designated area to move “to the sidewalk fronting the amphitheater” and thereby get closer to the crowds. The post Evangelist Challenging…

Supreme Court Allows Preacher’s Free Speech Lawsuit to Proceed Against Amphitheater Restrictions

The U.S. Supreme Court has unanimously ruled that a Mississippi street preacher can move forward with his legal challenge against restrictions on speech near a city amphitheater. The justices allowed the case of Olivier v. City of Brandon, Mississippi, to proceed, enabling evangelist Gabriel Olivier to continue pursuing his First Amendment claims.

Supreme Court Backs Street Preacher's Free Speech Lawsuit

The Supreme Court ruled Friday that a Mississippi street preacher can press forward with his First Amendment challenge to a city ordinance that banished him to a "designated protest area" for sharing his faith at a public amphitheater. The decision was unanimous. Gabriel Olivier, an evangelical Christian who was arrested, fined $304, and placed on a year of probation for preaching outside the approved zone, had been blocked by lower courts from …

Supreme Court revives suit from evangelical Christian challenging restrictions on demonstrations

The Supreme Court on Friday revived a lawsuit from an evangelical Christian barred from demonstrating in Mississippi after authorities say he shouted insults at people over a loudspeaker.