NEPA Freethought Society v. COLTS
The Reporters Committee and 17 media organizations filed an amici brief in Northeastern Pennsylvania Freethought v. Lackawanna Transit System (COLTS), which is pending before the 3rd Circuit. This case concerns a First Amendment challenge to a transit advertisement policy that prohibits controversial advertisements, including those that relate to politics or religion. The district court upheld the policy, and the plaintiff appealed. The amici brief argues that the COLTS policy could bar advertisements by the news media, and it highlights a recent case in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania concerning a similar policy by the Philadelphia transit authority that was used to deny an advertisement proposed by Reveal from the Center for Investigative Reporting.