U.S. Supreme Court Upholds Freedoms
In Havre de Grace, Maryland, Jehovah’s witnesses applied for a permit to hold a religious meeting in a park. The city council refused the permit, the meeting was held anyway, two speakers, Daniel Niemotko and Neil Kelley, were arrested, tried on disorderly conduct charges, convicted, and fined $25 and costs. Appeals eventually brought the case to the United States Supreme Court. On January 15 this court, in a unanimous decision written by Chief Justice Vinson, reversed the lower courts and censured the city officials. Chief Justice Vinson pointed out that the high court had previously condemned statutes and ordinances requiring permits from local officials on the ground that “a license requirement constituted a prior restraint on freedom of speech, press and religion, and, in the absence of narrowly drawn, reasonable and definite standards for the officials to follow, must be invalid”. It was pointed out that Havre de Grace had no law regulating or prohibiting use of the park, but left all authority in the hands of the park commissioner and city council. On this the chief justice said: “No standards appear anywhere; no narrowly drawn limitations; no circumscribing of this absolute power; no substantial interest of the community to be served.” On this same day the court struck down a New York city ordinance that required police permits for preachers to conduct religious services in the streets. The court is to be commended for these decisions, which are victories for basic freedoms. A detailed account of the witnesses’ case will appear in the March 22 Awake!