Court: City officials’ actions in restricting speech in public park were unconstitutional
ADF-allied attorney wins declaratory judgment for public preachers barred from expressing views
Tuesday, May 09, 2006

HARRISBURG, Pa. — Sealing a victory for religious free speech, a federal district court judge issued a declaratory judgment Monday in favor of two preachers muzzled by city officials from speaking in a public park.

An Alliance Defense Fund allied attorney represents the preachers’ organization of which one of the men, Pastor Jim Grove, is a part. “Christian speech shouldn’t be treated differently than any other kind of speech,” said ADF-allied attorney Leonard Brown of the law firm Clymer & Musser. “This ruling, coming after a jury found two police officers had violated Pastor Grove’s First Amendment rights when they arrested him, clearly shows that other Harrisburg officials violated this basic constitutional guarantee when they had a city police officer stop the two men from speaking near the event.”

In 2003, Harrisburg officials restricted the speech of James Grove and Michael Marcavage as they expressed opposition to the “PrideFest” event in Riverfront Park, which celebrates homosexual behavior. the rest