Supreme Court Turns Down N.Y. Klan Case
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The U.S. Supreme Court turned away a Ku Klux Klan group’s free speech challenge to a New York City law that bars public gatherings by people wearing hoods and masks.
The white-separatist Church of the American Knights of the Ku Klux Klan and founder Jeffrey Berry argued that some members need to conceal themselves at marches to protect against retaliation and harassment.
The high court, which rejected the appeal as part of a list of orders released today in Washington, left intact a decision by the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The appeals court said in January that the anti-mask law is a valid measure to prevent gatherings from turning violent.
In its appeal, the American Knights pointed to past cases where the high court protected anonymous speech. In 1958, for example, the court said the state of Alabama couldn’t compel the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People to reveal its membership lists.
“Protecting the identity of individuals engaged in free speech activities from reprisals by those who disagree with their message lies at the heart of the anonymous speech doctrine,” the American Knights said in the appeal.
