By Eric Nusbaum, Assistant Editor, JTNews
For at least the immediate future, King County will not run a set of proposed bus advertisements critical of Israel. Judge Richard A. Jones on late Friday afternoon ruled against the ACLU of Washington and the Seattle Mideast Awareness Campaign, which sought an injunction that would have forced the county to run the ads, stating “Israeli War Crimes: Your Tax Dollars At Work.”
The sides presented their arguments in a hearing on Monday. Initially King County accepted the ads, but after heavy media coverage and ensuing controversy, county executive Dow Constantine issued a moratorium on non-commercial ads and canceled this campaign. A permanent policy on the future of running such advertisements is still under consideration.
The ACLU and SeaMAC, in filing their lawsuit in January, had hoped to establish that the buses were a designated free-speech zone – and that based on King County’s recent history and written policy, not running the ads amounted to a violation of the First Amendment. The county claimed that buses did not constitute a designated public forum.
“We are pleased with the court’s finding that the decision to pull the ad was reasonable in light of the threats of violence and disruption from members of the public and the safety concerns of bus drivers and law enforcement,” said Endel Kolde, the attorney who represented King County, in a statement. “This decision is good for transit and good for the people of King County.”
The ACLU and SeaMAC have yet to respond to the judge’s ruling, but indicated previously that they would likely appeal the decision.