Some of the political signs that dot the District’s landscape could be allowed to stay up longer if the city follows the opinion of a federal judge. U.S. District Judge Royce C. Lamberth wrote in an opinion released Thursday that city regulations regarding political signs hung from lampposts might be unconstitutional and District lawmakers should consider rewriting the rules to avoid further court proceedings. If they follow his direction, they will rewrite the regulations so signs posted on public property are allowed stay up for the same amount of time regardless of whether they’re promoting a political event — such as an election — or expressing a general opinion.
If the court in its final decision finds that the regulations restricted expression based on the content of the signs. Lamberth wrote, “it will have little choice but to conclude that they favor election-related communications over general political advocacy in violation of the First Amendment.”
