Day laborers win Supreme Court free-speech case
Day laborers in Western states including California scored a legal victory Tuesday when the U.S. Supreme Court let stand a lower-court ruling declaring that cities violate free speech when they make it a crime to seek work from passing drivers.
The case comes from the Los Angeles suburb of Redondo Beach and affects dozens of cities in California and other states that have passed or considered bans on asking for work from the sidewalk.
In the Bay Area, federal courts barred Mountain View and Los Altos from enforcing similar laws nearly a decade ago, said Thomas Saenz, general counsel of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, which led the legal challenges. Many day laborers in California are Latino.
"Day laborers have a right to free speech, just as much as a wealthy corporation or a well-heeled political candidate," Saenz said. "The First Amendment protects everyone's speech, particularly on a sidewalk, where from the beginning of our country's history folks have engaged in free expression."
Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2012/02/21/BAUB1NAFS8.DTL
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