[ April 19, 2024 ]
We have take our free speech fight against Washington D.C. Transit to the Supreme Court. My organization, AFDI filed a lawsuit against the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority for violation of our First Amendment rights by refusing to display our free speech ads. In what could only called an end-run around the First Amendment, the Washington Transit Authority banned “political ads” after AFDI submitted our free speech campaign. No contemporary medium of communication may pass the test of being merely commercial and non-political. The New York Times runs an editorial page every day — not to mention the slant of their “straight news” — and therefore, if they can advertise, so can the Village Voice, the Socialist Militant, and Dabiq (ISIS’ four-color magazine), for that matter.
We salute our legal team of avid Yerushalmi and Robert Muise of the American Freedom law Center for their trailblazing work in the cause of the freedom of speech.
Story continues below advertisement
In the Supreme Court of the United States
AMERICAN FREEDOM DEFENSE INITIATIVE, et al.,
v.
Petitioners,
WASHINGTON METROPOLITAN AREA TRANSIT AUTHORITY (WMATA)The D.C. Circuit’s opinion conflicts with this Court’s precedent on an issue of exceptional importance: the freedom to express a viewpoint free from government censorship. Additionally, there is conflict in the United States courts of appeals regarding the application of the First Amendment to the display of public-issue advertisements on government transit authority property. This Court’s review is warranted.
1. Is the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s advertising space a public forum for Petitioner’s “Support Free Speech” ads such that Respondents’ rejection of the ads violates the First Amendment?2. Regardless of the forum question, is Respondents’ rejection of Petitioners’ “Support Free Speech” ads unreasonable and viewpoint based in violation of the First Amendment?
Read the whole thing:
AFDI v WMATA: Petition for … by on Scribd
UPDATE: From AFLC:
On January 28, 2019, the American Freedom Law Center (AFLC) filed a petition for writ of certiorari in the U.S. Supreme Court, seeking the high court’s review in a case challenging the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s (WMATA) refusal to display two “Support Free Speech” ads on their advertising space.
The two ads, which were submitted by AFLC clients Pamela Geller, Robert Spencer, and their organization, AFDI, appear as follows:
AFDI’s ads make the point that the First Amendment will not yield to Sharia-adherent Islamists who want to enforce so-called blasphemy laws here in the United States, whether through threats of violence or through the actions of complicit government officials.
WMATA originally rejected the ads because the ad copy “advocates free speech and does not try to sell you a commercial product” in violation of WMATA’s advertising guideline prohibiting “[a]dvertisements intended to influence members of the public regarding an issue on which there are varying opinions.”
WMATA now claims that the ads also violate its guideline prohibiting “[a]dvertisements that support or oppose any religion, religious practice or belief.”
AFLC contends that both guidelines are unlawful viewpoint-based restrictions.
The district court upheld the speech restrictions, and AFLC appealed that ruling to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.
The D.C. Circuit reversed, in part, the adverse ruling and remanded the case for the district court to determine whether WMATA’s rejection of the ads was “reasonable.”
In its ruling, however, the circuit court affirmed that WMATA’s advertising space was a nonpublic forum and that its speech restrictions were viewpoint neutral.
AFLC disagrees and is asking the Supreme Court to review this important First Amendment case.
In the petition, AFLC presents the Supreme Court with two questions for review:
1. Is WMATA’s advertising space a public forum for the “Support Free Speech” ads such that its rejection of the ads violates the First Amendment?
2. Regardless of the forum question, is WMATA’s rejection of the “Support Free Speech” ads unreasonable and viewpoint based in violation of the First Amendment?
AFLC Co-Founder and Senior Counsel David Yerushalmi commented:
“The First Amendment is not a privilege that some government official extends to us; it is an existential protection of our fundamental and inherent liberty to speak in the face of tyranny. At a time when the shadow government of faceless bureaucrats joins hands with progressives and Muslim Brotherhood types to suppress public criticism on any subject that might offend the enemies of liberty, AFLC will stand tall and strong.”
AFLC Co-Founder and Senior Counsel Robert Muise added:
“Review should be granted in this case. The D.C. Circuit’s opinion conflicts with Supreme Court precedent on an issue of exceptional importance: the freedom to express a viewpoint free from government censorship. Additionally, there is conflict in the circuit courts regarding the application of the First Amendment to the display of public-issue advertisements on government transit authority property. A circuit split is among the most important factors in determining whether the Court grants review.”
The Truth Must be Told
Your contribution supports independent journalism
Please take a moment to consider this. Now, more than ever, people are reading Geller Report for news they won't get anywhere else. But advertising revenues have all but disappeared. Google Adsense is the online advertising monopoly and they have banned us. Social media giants like Facebook and Twitter have blocked and shadow-banned our accounts. But we won't put up a paywall. Because never has the free world needed independent journalism more.
Everyone who reads our reporting knows the Geller Report covers the news the media won't. We cannot do our ground-breaking report without your support. We must continue to report on the global jihad and the left's war on freedom. Our readers’ contributions make that possible.
Geller Report's independent, investigative journalism takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce. But we do it because we believe our work is critical in the fight for freedom and because it is your fight, too.
Please contribute here.
or
Make a monthly commitment to support The Geller Report – choose the option that suits you best.
Quick note: We cannot do this without your support. Fact. Our work is made possible by you and only you. We receive no grants, government handouts, or major funding.Tech giants are shutting us down. You know this. Twitter, LinkedIn, Google Adsense, Pinterest permanently banned us. Facebook, Google search et al have shadow-banned, suspended and deleted us from your news feeds. They are disappearing us. But we are here.
Subscribe to Geller Report newsletter here— it’s free and it’s essential NOW when informed decision making and opinion is essential to America's survival. Share our posts on your social channels and with your email contacts. Fight the great fight.
Follow Pamela Geller on Gettr. I am there. click here.
Follow Pamela Geller on Trump's social media platform, Truth Social. It's open and free.
Remember, YOU make the work possible. If you can, please contribute to Geller Report.
Join The Conversation. Leave a Comment.
We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spammy or unhelpful, click the - symbol under the comment to let us know. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.
If you would like to join the conversation, but don't have an account, you can sign up for one right here.
If you are having problems leaving a comment, it's likely because you are using an ad blocker, something that break ads, of course, but also breaks the comments section of our site. If you are using an ad blocker, and would like to share your thoughts, please disable your ad blocker. We look forward to seeing your comments below.
8 Comments
5 years ago
No to Muhammadist censorship. The Muhammadists made people believe through censorship that Hitler & the Nazis weren’t motivated by the unjust Muhammadism, because they want to repeat it.
We have a goal. We want to abolish Muhammadist tyranny.
We must work comprehensively & abolish the censorship by Muhammadists on Wikipedia, social media, education & government.
It’s a government-job.
It’s good that the drawing shows unjust Muhammad as white person which should inspire to reflect on the fact that unjust Muhammad was the founder of the crime of enslavement of Africans.
Ads highlighting the enslavement of Africans would be good.
Africans are enslaved, castrated, divorced, beaten & killed today in Saudi Arabia & enslaved in the UAE, Oman, Yemen, Kuwait, Lebanon, Bahrain, Iraq, North-Sudan, Libya (surge), Algeria (surge), Mauritania (20 percent), Niger, Mali, Somalia, Nigeria in emulation of unjust Muhammad who started the global African slave-trade by saying his unproven deity had turned Africans black so Africans’ descendants would be slaves to Arabs & Turks (see Wikiislam).
5 years ago
I am thankful this is being pursued.
5 years ago
GO PAMELA, and “take it to the limit………one more time”. People like you, Robert, Jamie, and others are the blessings of this century.
5 years ago
Free speech. Either you have it, or you don’t. Once you start chipping away at it, a little bit here and a little bit there, before you know it, it’s gone.
5 years ago
Reply to
Peter A
Indeed, look at the state of European societies today. America must NOT follow in their example.
5 years ago
Please Make a download of your Petition for Certiorari available to download. I’m sure your followers would like to read it.Hopefully, there will be many amicus briefs filed with the court in support of your Petition. This is a very important case and we all need to follow it closely.
5 years ago
Free speech must NEVER be compromised.
