Judge rules Broadview protest curfew violates First Amendment

A federal Judge on Sunday struck down the village of Broadview’s curfew on protests, ruling that restrictions set by suburban leaders have violated demonstrators’ First Amendments rights.

Chicago attorney Robert Held filed for a preliminary injunction last fall as part of a federal lawsuit against Broadview to overturn Mayor Katrina Thompson’s executive order establishing time limits and designated areas for protests outside the Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Broadview.

U.S. District Judge Edmond Chang granted the preliminary injunction, writing in his decision that Broadview’s “current restrictions cannot stand under the First Amendment.”

Held called the ruling a “heartwarming victory.”

“The judge looked at the facts and the law and slapped down mayor,” Held told the Sun-Times. “This is a victory not just for the protesters, but anyone in this country who cares about the First Amendment and Constitution.”

The ICE property became the site for major protests against “Operation Midway Blitz,” the Trump administration’s aggressive deportation campaign in Chicago and its suburbs last year.

In response, Thompson issued several executive orders restricting where and when people can protest at the facility, which included establishing “free speech zones” and a daily curfew for demonstrations from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Held filed the federal complaint in October against Thompson and Broadview Chief of Police Thomas Mills in an effort to overturn the village’s protest restrictions.

In granting the preliminary injunction, Chang said the ongoing daily limits on protests “fail to survive First Amendment scrutiny.” But the village is allowed to keep the protest zones and enact “more specific limits for specific protests on specific days.”

A Broadview spokesperson did not immediately respond a request for comment.

Contributing: Violet Miller