fair question to be sure given the circumstances.
Blocking traffic is an illegal, albeit effective method of protesting in the United States. When protesters block traffic, they are engaging in civil disobedience, a term coined by one of America's earliest freethinkers and intellectuals, Henry David Thoreau. While nearly everyone caught in a...
www.findlaw.com
Blocking traffic is an illegal, albeit effective method of protesting in the United States. When protesters block traffic, they are engaging in civil disobedience, a term coined by one of America's earliest freethinkers and intellectuals, Henry David Thoreau.
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fair enough, but what *law* still remains?
same source -
This FindLaw article discusses peaceful protest rights, including time, place, and manner restrictions and free speech zones.
www.findlaw.com
Peaceful Protests: Regulation of Time, Place, and Manner
While governments may not deny a person's constitutional right to peacefully protest, they may regulate the time, place, and manner in which the protest is conducted. This standard was further established by a 1989 Supreme Court decision (
Ward v. Rock Against Racism), a case challenging the constitutionality of New York City's noise ordinance as applied to Rock Against Racism's concerts in Central Park.
In the
Ward decision, the Court held that the noise-related restrictions are constitutional as long as any restriction of time, place, and/or manner:
- Is content-neutral (meaning, the content of the speech or expression may not factor into the permitting decision);
- Is narrowly-tailored to serve a significant governmental interest (such as public safety and order); and
- Leaves open ample alternative channels for communication (expressive activity may still be conducted, even if its time, place, and/or manner is legally restricted in some way).
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so yes, this is defined by court order and various laws at almost every level.