Judge Throws Out Panhandling Law, Says Physical Interaction Is Free Speech
A federal court threw out the law enacted in Hot Springs, Ark., that applied to someone approaching a vehicle. The judge ruled the law violated the First Amendment's protection on free speech.
When a panhandler approaches a car in the intersection — his hand out, his eyes wide — that physical interaction is protected by the First Amendment, a federal district judge ruled Monday when he threw out an Arkansas city's panhandling ban.
It's the latest such ban to be found unconstitutional since a 2015 had to do with , but courts around the country have cited the case as they panhandling laws.
