In this First Amendment lawsuit, ACLU lawyers sued the Town of Fraser for prohibiting ACLU clients from posting communicative displays on their property that express their views on social and political issues.
After the 2016 election, Fraser residents Melinda McWilliams and Alan Jensen began posting 2-sided displays in Jensen’s front yard that expressed their displeasure with President Trump as well as the need for action about global warming. The display soon included eight double-sided signs, which stood for a year without incident. In September, 2018, the Fraser Town Manager notified the ACLU’s clients that the signs violated the Town of Fraser’s sign code. In the face of threatened prosecution, McWilliams and Jensen took down their display and contacted the ACLU.
In response to the ACLU’s motion for an emergency injunction against enforcement of the sign code, the Town of Fraser agreed to halt enforcement while the Town worked on revising its ordinance. The ACLU’s clients rebuilt their communicative display. As revised a few months later, the Town’s sign code no longer interferes with residents’ right to post displays on their own property that express their views.
ACLU Press Release:
- "ACLU lawsuit: town ordinance silences residents' freedom of speech," ACLU News Release, July 25, 2019
Media:
- "ACLU sues Colorado town for barring residents' yard signs protesting Trump, environmental destruction," The Denver Post, July 25, 2019
- “Fraser Orders Couple To Remove Controversial Signs, ACLU Sues Town,” CBS News, August 5, 2019
- "Town of Fraser changes sign code restrictions amid First Amendment lawsuit over anti-Trump signs," The Denver Post, September 19, 2019
