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Religion & Law

: Religion Clause

5th Circuit: Town Not Liable For Police Officer's Infringement of Preachers' Rights

By Howard M. Friedman

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In World Wide Street Preachers Fellowship v. Town of Columbia, (5th Cir., Dec. 21, 2009), the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals held that the Town of Columbia, Louisiana is not liable under 42 USC Sec. 1983 for the violation of First Amendment rights of a group of preachers by a town police officer who in February 2005 threatened the group with arrest if they did not disperse. The preachers' group demonstrates along roadways carrying anti-abortion signs, including ones with pictures of aborted fetuses. They had demonstrated in Columbia a number of times without police interference.

There is no respondeat superior liability under Section 1983, so another basis must be found if the town is to be held liable. The court rejected three different bases for liability that were urged by plaintiffs. It concluded that Columbia did not have a custom or practice of applying inapplicable statutes to limit the preachers? rights to demonstrate because of the graphic nature of their signs; 2) the town did not ratify the police officer's decision to violate the preachers? rights; and 3) Columbia did not have a policy of failing to adequately train its police officers on the rights of protesters. AP yesterday reported on the decision. (See prior related posting.)

Full post as published by Religion Clause on December 22, 2009 (boomark / email).