Our friend and colleague, Professor Daniel R. Mandelker of Washington University in St. Louis, has published a new article, titled Billboards, Signs, Free Speech, and the First Amendment. The article is featured in the Real Property, Trust, and Estate
Rocky Mountain Sign Law Blog
Regulatory, Best Practices and Other First Amendment News from Colorado's Leading Land Use Law Firm
The Rocky Mountain Sign Law Blog, published by Otten Johnson Robinson Neff + Ragonetti PC, focuses on legal issues related to sign regulations and advertising law, particularly in the Rocky Mountain region. It covers constitutional challenges to municipal sign ordinances, zoning disputes involving signage, First Amendment implications of sign and speech regulations, and related litigation outcomes. The blog discusses cases involving billboard regulations, digital signage bans, and the intersection of commercial and noncommercial speech in public spaces. It also addresses broader land use and municipal law topics as they pertain to signage and advertising restrictions.
Latest from Rocky Mountain Sign Law Blog - Page 3
Court Dismisses RLUIPA and Equal Protection Clause Case for Lack of Standing
A federal district court in Illinois recently denied a church’s preliminary injunction motion and dismissed its suit alleging that a zoning ordinance violates RLUIPA and the Equal Protection Clause. In all of its zoning districts, the Village of Homewood allows…
Federal District Court Strikes Down Fort Worth’s Prohibition and Exemption Scheme for Materials in the Right-of-Way
Recent litigation against the city of Fort Worth has once again confirmed that localities should steer clear of content-based sign codes and free-wheeling approval processes. Dallas’s neighbor learned that lesson after a federal district court struck down portions of its…
Eleventh Circuit Remands Some RLUIPA and Related Claims in Buddhist Center Zoning Permit Case
In November, the court sent parts of a case about a seemingly-unwelcome religious center back for district court reconsideration. The Thai Meditation Association of Alabama, a Buddhist organization, had applied for zoning permits to construct a meditation and retreat center…
District Court Upholds Tennessee City’s Enforcement of Policy Against Special Event Interference
In a case of first impression within the Sixth Circuit, a district court held that a city’s interest in protecting the exercise of a permit holder’s First Amendment rights is—at least in some circumstances—a significant interest supporting the content-neutral regulation…
Tenth Circuit Upholds Denial of Preliminary Injunction Against Enforcement of Disturbing-the-Peace Ordinance
Earlier this month, the court held that the City of Norman, Oklahoma may enforce a disturbing-the-peace ordinance against anti-abortion protesters while their litigation claiming it violates the First Amendment is pending. The ordinance prohibits “disturb[ing] the peace of another .…
Ohio Appeals Court Upholds Restrictions on Signage in the Public Right of Way
As a company that sells advertising space on benches in public areas, Bench Billboard Company has a long and storied litigation history against municipalities in Ohio and Kentucky. In this most recent iteration, the BBC challenged the constitutionality of Colerain…
Ninth Circuit Holds California City’s Mobile Advertising Ban Content-Based, Subject to Strict Scrutiny
Simi Valley, California, like many cities, bans mobile advertising displays on public streets. It also, however, exempts certain authorized vehicles from the general ban. The district court considered that scheme a permissible content-neutral regulation of speech and dismissed plaintiff Bruce…
Supreme Court Sides with Religious Institutions Against New York Restrictions on Worship Services
In a midnight per curiam opinion that generated several concurring and dissenting opinions, the Supreme Court recently enjoined the state of New York from enforcing certain COVID-19 restrictions against religious institutions. Although the injunction is limited to the pendency of…
Eleventh Circuit Upholds Denial of Street Preacher’s Preliminary Injunction Motion
Earlier this year, the federal Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit upheld a district court’s denial of a preliminary injunction requested by a street preacher who alleged that a county government had infringed upon his First Amendment rights.
Adam…