In an amicus curiae brief, joined by the Alabama Center for Law and Liberty, the ACRU supported the Petitioners in Center for Medical Progress v. National Abortion Federation in their effort to obtain certiorari review in the United States Supreme Court. The district court imposed an injunction that prohibited Petitioners from distributing materials gathered at meetings of the National Abortion Federation. The Petitioners complained that the injunction amounted to an unconstitutional prior restraint on speech.
The ACRU traced the history of opposition to prior restraints in England, colonial America, and the American Republic. That history shows that opposition to prior restraints on speech is at the core of the First Amendment’s protection. In addition, none of the grounds for restricting speech appeared to cover the materials Petitioners wanted to release.
