Constitutional Law

King Co. doesn't have to put anti-Israeli ads on buses

By By The Associated Press

SEATTLE ? A federal judge says it is reasonable for King County officials to refuse to place advertisements critical of the Israeli government on Metro buses.

On Feb. 18, U.S. District Judge Richard A. Jones refused to grant a preliminary injunction sought by the Seattle Mideast Awareness Campaign that would have ordered the county to run the ads reading, "Israeli War Crimes: Your Tax Dollars at Work."

Jones wrote in Seattle Mideast Awareness Campaign v. King County that threats of violence and disruption led bus drivers and law enforcement officials to express safety concerns and county officials had "a reasonable basis" to refuse the ads.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Washington argued the county's refusal violated the group's First Amendment rights.

The Seattle Times reported that county officials suspended new noncommercial ads and were drafting a new policy.

Full post as published by First Amendment Center on February 20, 2011 (boomark / email).