National Park Service Sued Over Mt. Rushmore Speech Permit Rules

Last Friday, the Alliance Defense Fund announced that it had filed suit against the National Park Service and others in federal court in the District of Columbia challenging rules governing public expression and distribution of printed matter at the Mt. Rushmore National Monument in South Dakota. The complaint (full text) alleges that Michael Boardley's free speech, free exercise, due process and equal protection rights were violated when he was informed that he would be required to obtain a permit in order to continue to hand out gospel tracts in a free speech zone in the Mt.Rushmore visitor complex. Boardley asked for a permit but never received one. The case is Boardley v. United States Department of Interior, (D DC, filed 11/2/07).