A federal judge has struck down portions of a policy aimed at controlling demonstrations at the state Capitol building.
The American Civil Liberties Union challenged the rules earlier this year, on behalf of UW-Madison assistant professor Michael Kissick. The lawsuit claims that the state permitting scheme, which requires permits for most gatherings of four or more people, is unconstitutional.
U.S. District Judge William Conley found that any policy targeting groups smaller than 20 people “sweeps in an enormous amount of ordinary activities that are unlikely to present any significant disturbance in the Capitol.” The judge also found that restrictions requiring permits using content-based criteria are unconstitutional as well.
ACLU attorney Larry Dupuis called the decision “a huge victory for free speech.”