Court renews battle over buffer zone around NJ abortion clinic
(Pexels)
ENGLEWOOD, N.J. - A lawsuit over a buffer zone around a New Jersey abortion clinic has been revived.
A federal appeals court in Philadelphia has written that a lower court was mistaken when it invalidated an ordinance in the town of Englewood.
The ordinance would prohibit the public from coming within eight feet of entrances to the facility, and was passed in response to intimidation and harassment by protesters.
A woman who considers herself a sidewalk counselor sued the town, claiming the ordinance inhibits her free speech rights to engage in peaceful conversation and distribute literature.
In a ruling Monday, the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals sent the case back to federal court in New Jersey, writing that it wasn't clear whether the ordinance prevented the woman from communicating her message.