WMAL Interview - ACLU's ART SPITZER - 08.10.17

INTERVIEW — ART SPITZER – legal director of the ACLU-DC and lead counsel in the case

ACLU sues Metro for rejecting controversial ads, saying its policy violates the First Amendment. (Washington Post) — The American Civil Liberties Union is suing Metro, alleging the transit agency’s ad restrictions violate the First Amendment. The lawsuit also challenges Metro’s rejections of ads by Carafem, PETA, alt-right writer Milo Yiannopoulos and one the ACLU submitted. The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court on Wednesday, centers on four ads: a PETA ad that encouraged riders to “Go Vegan,” an advertisement for an FDA-approved abortion pill, a promo for a book by Yiannopoulos, and an ACLU campaign that highlighted a quote from the First Amendment. All were either rejected outright by Metro — based on its advertising guidelines that prohibit ads that are “issues-oriented” or “intended to influence members of the public regarding an issue on which there are varying opinions” — or were retroactively pulled from stations, trains and buses after riders complained. “This case highlights the consequences of the government’s attempt to suppress all controversial speech on public transit property,” Arthur Spitzer, legal director of the ACLU-DC and lead counsel in the case, said in a statement. “The First Amendment protects the speech of everyone from discriminatory government censorship, whether you agree with the message or not.” The ACLU said that Metro is enforcing its advertising guidelines capriciously, and that the prohibitions outlined in the guidelines are far too broad and wide-reaching.