HAMPTON, Va. (AP) — A Virginia city is reconsidering its panhandling law after federal courts struck down similar ones over freedom of speech.
The Daily Press reports that Hampton’s ordinance bans repeated requests for a handout after the panhandler is told “no.” Abusive language intended to intimidate is also barred.
Several federal courts across the country have recently struck down similar ordinances. Those decisions stem from interpretations of a Supreme Court ruling against an Arizona city’s regulation of church signs.
An Arizona pastor had put up 17 signs around town notifying people about when and where his church had services. But the town’s sign ordinance limited the size and number of signs. Justice Clarence Thomas ruled that was an infringement on the pastor’s freedom of speech.
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