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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Huckleberries Online

Court bars Idaho from removing tent city protests

BOISE - A federal judge today issued an order barring the state of Idaho from removing Occupy Boise tents placed on state property as part of political protests in the future.

The court ruled earlier that the state can constitutionally ban overnight sleeping and camping – but that restricting political protests, including 24-hour ones, violates the Constitution.

Seven rules that the Idaho Legislature passed to restrict such protests already were found unconstitutional; the Legislature then revoked the rules this past winter. Now that those rules are revoked, that portion of the lawsuit is moot, U.S. District Judge Lynn Winmill ruled. But the Occupy group also asked for a ruling declaring that aside from the rules, the state can’t enforce laws it passed restricting protests in ways that violate Occupy Boise’s First Amendment free-speech rights. Betsy Russell, SR

Do you think tent cities have been an effective way of drawing attention to the protestors cause/s?



Huckleberries Online

D.F. Oliveria started Huckleberries Online on Feb. 16, 2004. Oliveria's Sunday print Huckleberries is a past winner of the national Herb Caen Memorial Column contest.