AUSTIN – American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Texas Legal Director Lisa Graybill today urged Fort Worth city officials to consult a First Amendment expert before voting on the proposed Outdoor Events Ordinance.Graybill sent her comments to the mayor, city council and city attorneys via letter and email prior to the scheduled city council vote Tuesday evening.
“It has come to our attention that there may be some confusion among Fort Worth council members and city staff about our position with respect to the City of Fort Worth’s proposed Outdoor Events Ordinance,” Graybill said. “The ACLU of Texas has not rendered and will not render an advisory legal opinion to the City of Fort Worth on the constitutionality of the proposed ordinance,” she added.
Providing legal advice to the city is the job of city legal staff and whatever legal advisors the city retains. The ACLU has no intention of usurping that roll, emphasized Graybill.
Because parade and procession ordinances such as the one proposed involve “the sometimes complicated intersection of individual rights or freedom or speech and municipal interests in maintaining public order, we urge the city to retain an expert to advise council on the constitutional implications of the proposed ordinance,” Graybill concluded.
Download the ACLU's letter
