WASHINGTON (CN) - The National Park Service has waived the need for a permit for small demonstrations in park free speech areas, in response to the D.C. Circuit's ruling that the agency's demonstration rules were unconstitutional.
The federal appeals court in Washington, D.C., found that the national park regulations were missing an exception to the requirement for a permit for individuals and small groups to demonstrate or sell or distribute printed material. Since neither party to the suit brought up that unconstitutional provisions of the rules could be struck down while constitutional provisions stood, the court struck down the rules.
Among other provisions, the interim rule that waives the needs for a permit for small groups, revises the definition of a demonstration, and prohibits harassment of visitors and obstruction of public passageways.
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