KKK wages first amendment battle in Desloge, MO...again
The Ku Klux Klan is challenging a new Desloge, Missouri ordinance that bans them from distributing flyers in city streets.
A judge has already struck down a city wide ban on distributing leaflets that the Klan had fought with the help of the ACLU. Tony Rothert, legal director for the ACLU's Eastern District of Missouri says the Supreme Court has long held that handing out leaflets is protected by the First Amendment.
Rothert says that neither he, nor the ACLU agrees with the KKK`s message, just their right to share it. "We think it’s important for all Americans that they be able to distribute literature to get their ideas out in peaceful ways and let the market place of ideas debate who’s right,” he said.
Rother has suggested the that the city's new ordinance is an attempt to get around the earlier judges ruling.
Desloge city administrator Greg Camp says that's not true. Camp says, it's never been a question of First Amendment rights. "Regardless of the message, we have to respect the fact that everyone has the right to free speech," he said. "The concern is for people being in the road."
Camp says the city consulted with an attorney before crafting the new measure, and they believe it will hold up in court.
The city has until Monday (May 6th) to respond to the ACLU's new complaint.
Desloge is about 60 miles south of St. Louis.
Latest News
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8

MILLER TAKES LOSS AS PADRES BEAT CARDINALS 4-2
SAN DIEGO (AP) -- With the St. Louis Cardinals leading the San Diego Padres 2-1 in the sixth inning, manager Mike Matheny had seen enough of Shelby Miller. The rookie right-hand...

RED WINGS BEAT BLACKHAWKS TO TAKE 2-1 SERIES LEAD
DETROIT (AP) -- The Chicago Blackhawks were controlling the puck and dominating play early in the second period. It took all of a half-minute for the Detroit Red Wings to swing the...

Mo. life sentence for juveniles still in flux
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) - Prison sentences for Missouri juveniles convicted of first-degree murder remain uncertain because lawmakers did not pass a new sentencing scheme before a...

Route N closed in Cottleville, west of Weise Rd
Route N is currently closed in Cottleville due to last night's storms and the high levels of Dardenne Creek. The road is closed west of Weise Road, just west of downtown Cottlev...

Growers making up for lost time in planting corn
ST. LOUIS (AP) - Corn growers across the Midwest have made up for lost time in a big way from a slow start to planting season after a waterlogged spring. The U.S. Department of Ag...

Portion of Ladue Rd closed to traffic for Senior PGA
Crews will begin closing roads today in Town & Country ahead of the Senior PGA Tournament at Bellerive Country Club. From 6 a.m. until 8 p.m. today through Sunday, Ladue Road...

More tornadoes in forecast for central US Tuesday
NORMAN, Okla. (AP) - More severe weather is in the forecast for parts of the central United States already reeling from powerful tornadoes this week. The Storm Prediction Center i...

Joplin reaching out to help tornado-torn Moore, OK
Tornado survivors in Joplin, Missouri are reaching out to help the victims of yesterday's devastating Oklahoma storm. Officials in the southwest Missouri city have brought toget...