A Jacksonville ordinance requires people on the sex offender registry to put up a sign on Halloween saying “No Candy or Treats Here.” After an Eleventh Circuit panel declared a similar practice unconstitutional compelled speech in violation of the First Amendment, we wrote the City asking them to repeal it. After they declined, we filed a lawsuit. We also challenged a separate prohibition on any displays or decorations on First Amendment grounds, and on vagueness grounds, because the ordinance makes it impossible to determine what displays are prohibited. We also filed a Motion for Preliminary Injunction asking to enjoin the ordinances. After a hearing, the City agreed not to enforce the sign provision this Halloween. The case remains pending.
Case Summary: A Jacksonville ordinance requires people on the sex offender registry to put up a sign on Halloween saying “No Candy or Treats Here.”