Preacher Challenges Permit Requirement and Noise Limits Imposed By Alabama City

Last week a federal lawsuit was filed on behalf of Christian evangelist, Rev. Wesley Sewell, against the city of Jacksonville, Alabama, challenging its ordinance that severely limits the use of loudspeakers and its requirement to obtain a permit before preaching on public sidewalks. (ADF Press Release.) The complaint (full text) says that the city's prohibition on sound devices that can be heard more than 10 feet away and the city's permit requirement that has no written guidelines, violate Sewell's free speech, due process, equal protection and free exercise rights under the U.S. Constitution, as well as his rights under the Alabama Constitution's Religious Freedom Amendment.