Free speech wins out in OKC anti-panhandling case

Oklahoma City argued that safety was the goal of an ordinance that banned anyone from being in traffic medians at busy intersections. A federal appeals court didn’t buy it, in a victory for those who argued the First Amendment should prevail for people of all stripes.

In a ruling Monday declaring the city ordinance unconstitutional, a three-judge panel of the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver said the rule showed "troubling evidence of animus against panhandlers." The city council approved the ordinance in December 2015. It originally prohibited standing on traffic medians near busy intersections, and later was revised to apply to about 400 medians located within city streets with speed limits of 40 miles per hour or greater.

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