On February 5, 2008, in State v. DeAngelo, Docket No. A-73-07, the New Jersey Supreme Court held that a municipality violated free speech rights by banning temporary signs on public streets, including a 10-foot high inflatable rat at a labor protest. This case was the subject of a previous blog entry wherein our
Free speech
Distinction Between Public and Private Speech
By Frank M. Crivelli on
Posted in Public Employment Labor Law
In Brennan v. Township of Fairfield, the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey addressed an important topic for public safety officers, freedom of speech. In this case, Plaintiff, a police officer, alleged he was retaliated against for distributing a memorandum on police letterhead to the Mayor and Township Council…
Free Speech and Labor Protesting Collide
By Frank M. Crivelli on
Posted in Public Employment Labor Law
On September 23, 2008, the New Jersey Supreme Court entertained oral argument in the case of State v. DeAngelo, A-73-07, wherein the issues of labor protesting and free speech collide. The case involves a union official who was fined for displaying a 10-foot tall, inflatable rat at a Lawrence Township labor rally, thereby …