SX News reports that Australia's Federal Court today struck down a New South Wales law prohibiting annoying participants in World Youth Day events. The court held that the new law unconstitutionally chills speech. The 6-days of events for World Youth Day-- including the visit of Pope Benedict XVI-- begin today. The Straits Times reports that members of the NoToPope Coalition who disagree with Church's opposition to the use of condoms will send a welcome letter accompanied by condoms to 325 places where pilgrims are being housed. The letter reads in part: "'In handing you these condoms, our coalition is saying that the pope's policy on condoms is a death sentence for millions within Africa." Apparently protesters learned where to send the letters by examining the list of places covered by the new law furnished to the Federal Court last week by the New South Wales government.
UPDATE: Australian Business (July 18) reports extensively on the court hearing leading to the invalidation of the NSW World Youth Day 2008 Regulation. Apparently the court's holding was a statutory one-- that the regulation exceeded the authority granted by the World Youth Day Act, using the presumption that parliament did not intend to authorize rules that would interfere with the exercise of fundamental free free speech rights.
