A Senate committee approves legislation that would make it a crime to conduct a disruptive protest inside a church or near a place of worship. Ponchatoula Senator Bill Wheat says with his legislation, he’s not trying to infringe upon the First Amendment right to protest.
“But at the same time, I don’t think that right of free speech and the right to protest should usurp or override the right of someone to be able to worship freely in the place of worship that they are,” Wheat said.
The legislation, which is headed to the Senate floor, is in response to a protest that took place at a Minneapolis church last January where the pastor was an ICE officer. Wheat says he’s not heard of any similar incidents in Louisiana. He says his legislation would not prohibit a person from holding a protest sign in front of the church, but if they cause a disruption it would lead to a $500 fine and possibly up to 15 days in jail.
“If they have a bullhorn, or they’re blocking access to people getting in and out of their places of worship, I think those would be examples of what we would call disruptive service,” Wheat explained.
Meghan Garvey with the Louisiana Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers says the U-S Supreme Court has already ruled it is unconstitutional to ban someone from protesting on a public sidewalk. Garvey says the bill also needs to do a better job in defining what is “disruptive” so it does not infringe on free speech rights…
“If somebody’s giving out pamphlets, if somebody’s doing something, if they’re message, right, is very contrary or considered offensive to the people who are worshipping in that facility, that could be considered disruptive,” Garvey said.
The measure heads to the Senate floor for more discussion.