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Wyoming Supreme Court says anti-abortion group should have been allowed to protest at Boy Scout event
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April 12, 2012
Wyoming: The Wyoming Supreme Court ruled, on April 10, that a restraining order prohibiting an anti-abortion group from protesting in the City of Jackson last year was unconstitutional.
The case centered around the 2011 Boy Scouts Elk Fest, which was held in the town square. Operation Save America used the event as a chance to protest the abortions that were being performed by local Dr. Brent Blue. The protesters gathered a few days prior to the fest, displaying pictures of aborted fetuses and visiting the Jackson Hole middle school and high school. The city obtained a restraining order against OSA.
In the recent Supreme Court decision, the justices were divided. Justice Michael Golden, writing for the majority, explained, "Speech directed at abortion policy is public issue speech...The fact that the messages conveyed may be offensive to their recipients does not deprive them of constitutional protection."[1] Justices James Burke and Barton Voigt agreed. Chief Justice Marilyn Kite and Justice William U. Hill dissented, arguing that the restraining order should have simply been considered moot, since the situation is over and isn't likely to happen again.[2]
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