The 7th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals ruled that a law forbidding panhandling in the historic district of Springfield, Illinois did not run afoul of the First Amendment. Springfield does not allow signs or spoken requests for money in the downtown area. Federal district courts have made divergent rulings on the issue and the U.S. Supreme Court has yet to weigh in on panhandling in a public forum of a public street. (Courthouse News Service, September 29, 2014, by Jack Bouboushian)
The 1st Circuit recently upheld the right of Worcester, Massachusetts to restrict panhandling. The ruling affirmed that the ban on the speech was content neutral and was in keeping with the city’s right to regulate the time, place and manner of the expression. (Courthouse News Service, September 21, 2014, by Elizabeth Banicki)
See also the First Amendment Coalition coverage of a 9th Circuit decision over a ban at the Los Angeles International Airport.