Page 6 - Ruth Bourquin News Today

The American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts challenged the ordinance in a 2019 lawsuit accusing Fall River of aggressive enforcement. The group represented two homeless men who were accused of violating the law more than 40 times by Fall River police. Paul Coogan, the mayor of Fall River, said he supports the courts decision. Even before the ruling, the city had stopped enforcing the law, he said. "We have to make sure in Massachusetts we treat all people and groups equally, and thats b...

People in Massachusetts who ask motorists for money should now, theoretically, be able to without being fined or arrested by law enforcement. Thats because on Tuesday, the states Supreme Judicial Court struck down a statute that made someone subject to criminal prosecution for "soliciting any alms, contribution or subscription" from motorists. The ruling comes a year after the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Massachusetts filed a lawsuit against the Fall River Police Department allegin...

December 15, 2020 GMT BOSTON (AP) — The highest court in Massachusetts on Tuesday struck down a state law making it illegal for people to ask for money for their own support on public roads. A decision from the Supreme Judicial Court found that the law violated free speech rights because it prohibited people from requesting money for personal support on roadways but specifically allowed the sale of newspapers or event tickets. The court concluded that asking motorists for personal donations �...

Supreme Judicial Court rules law banning panhandling violates First Amendment rights of homeless people By John R. Ellement Globe Staff,Updated December 15, 2020, 4:14 p.m. Email to a Friend A panhandler along a stretch of Massachusetts Avenue in Boston in 2016.Keith Bedford/Globe Staff The First Amendment rights of homeless people were violated by a state law that made it a crime to flag down passing motorists to ask for cash, the state’s highest court ruled unanimously Tuesday. The Supre...

After Fall River arrests, anti-panhandling law ruled unconstitutional by Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Updated Dec 15, 2020; The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court issued a decision Tuesday deeming a state statute banning panhandling unconstitutional, ruling that homeless people can ask for donations on public roads just like anyone else. In a 23-page decision authored by Justice Barbara Lenk, the SJC states the statute infringed upon the individuals’ First Amendment rights. Lenk ca...