MINNEAPOLIS: Preacher Wins Appeal To Hand Out Bibles At Twin Cities Pride

In a 2-1 decision, the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals has struck down a lower court's ruling that a preacher could not hand out bibles on the grounds of Twin Cities Pride.

Though Johnson, of Hayward, Wis., said he had been distributing Bibles at the event since 1995 without issue, his application to set up a booth at the 2009 event was denied. He was then removed from the festival both that year and the year after. The Minnesota Park & Recreation Board eventually decided to restrict the distribution of literature away from high congestion areas, dubbed “free-speech zones.” One judge issued a dissent, saying that the festival “has encountered problems with literature distributors in the past and has developed a sensible plan for managing those situations” and that the Minnesota Park & Recreation Board “has provided ample alternative channels of Communication.”

Johnson was allowed to distribute bibles for the last two years while awaiting his appeal.