The city of Cleveland and the ACLU of Ohio have hammered out a settlement in a federal case in which the city’s regulations for demonstrations and parades during the Republican National Convention next month had been ruled unconstitutional.
Shortly after that resolution was announced Friday, the ACLU of Pennsylvania filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Philadelphia, claiming that city’s rejection of a permit for the Poor People’s Economic Human Rights Campaign to march on July 25, the first day of the Democratic National Convention, violated the First Amendment right of free expression.
In Cleveland, the settlement dismisses the federal lawsuit filed last week by the ACLU that succeeded Thursday in the issuance by U.S. District Judge James S. Gwin of a temporary injunction of the city’s convention-related regulations. Following a 90-minute hearing, Judge Gwin ruled unconstitutional the city’s plans to severely limit demonstrations, parades and speeches in a 3.3-mile “Event Zone” in Downtown surrounding the Quicken Loans Arena where the convention will be held July 18-21.
Judge Gwin, who said the city’s plans violated the First Amendment rights of free speech and assembly, also issued an order for mediation by his fellow U.S. District Judge Dan Aaron Polster.
Judge Polster on Friday released minutes and an order that said “the Court, the attorneys, and the parties worked well into the evening. Today, counsel advised me that the case is settled and that they will execute a settlement agreement expeditiously.”
In light of that, Judge Gwin dismissed the lawsuit which the ACLU had filed for three plaintiffs — Citizens for Trump, Organize Ohio, and the Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless. The first two had applied for parade permits in the Event Zone and were denied.
Details of the settlement were not immediately available. ACLU spokesman Stephen David said the parties on Friday were still drafting the settlement, "and once that is finalized and the sides sign off, [Judge Gwin] has to give his approval.
“Given the time of day and the day of the week, that's all not likely to happen until Monday or after that.”
The Block News Alliance consists of The Blade and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Michael A. Fuoco is a reporter at the Post-Gazette.
First Published June 24, 2016, 11:24 p.m.
