ADF attorneys file federal appeal on behalf of pro-life advocate silenced by Raleigh officials
Citizen silenced for attempting to express message on public property
Tuesday, April 17, 2007

RALEIGH, N.C. — Alliance Defense Fund attorneys filed an appeal in federal court Friday on behalf of a citizen silenced for expressing pro-life speech on public property. ADF attorneys originally filed suit on behalf of Dennis Green in 2005, after officials threatened him with arrest for not adhering to the city’s so-called “permit process.”

“The Constitution does not require individuals to obtain governmental permission in order to exercise their First Amendment rights,” said ADF Senior Counsel Nate Kellum. “Such laws are unconstitutional and serve only to stifle the speaker.”

On Aug. 23, 2003, Green, along with some members of his friends and family, began to peacefully communicate a pro-life viewpoint on a public right-of-way. Raleigh police officers approached Green, who was carrying a sign and attempting to distribute literature concerning the issue of abortion. the rest