St. Louis: Federal appeals court rules for town in regulating commercial use of park

A town’s law requiring a permit for commercial activity in the park survived a First Amendment test before the Eighth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals who ruled that the law was not intended to stifle free speech but served to facilitate the expression of both commercial and non-commercial users of the park. Town officials said the permit was necessary to mitigate congestion by allowing exclusive use of certain areas. (St. Louis Record, August 7, 2017, by Sam Knef)

Commercial photographer Josephine Havlak argued that the law favored non-commercial uses and prevented her message as a photographer. The town charges a $100 fee for commercial use of the park mainly to pay for police presence during the activity. (PrawfsBlawg, August 6, 2017, by Lyrissa Lidsky)