A federal judge has exonerated five anti-war protesters who were ticketed for encouraging passing motorists to “honk for peace.” The protesters, and one driver who had honked in support, had been cited for disturbing the peace (ironic, no?).
The ACLU’s Michigan office intervened in April, suing the city of Ferndale for violating the group’s First Amendment rights to free speech. “Honking is a time-honored means of political expression in Michigan,” said ACLU legal director Michael Steinberg on Thursday.
Police officers issued the sign-bearers tickets for violating a local law against honking for any reason other than alerting other drivers of danger – and also for causing a noise disturbance.
According to the ACLU attorneys, this is one of the only cases in which car-horn honking has been debated as a form of protected political expression.
