Jews for Jesus, Inc. v. Board of Airport Commissioners

661 F. Supp. 1223
CourtDistrict Court, C.D. California
DecidedMarch 29, 1985
DocketCV 84-5268-ER
StatusPublished

This text of 661 F. Supp. 1223 (Jews for Jesus, Inc. v. Board of Airport Commissioners) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, C.D. California primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Jews for Jesus, Inc. v. Board of Airport Commissioners, 661 F. Supp. 1223 (C.D. Cal. 1985).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM DECISION AND JUDGMENT

RAFEEDIE, District Judge.

The above captioned matter came before this Court for trial without a jury on January 8, 1985. Prior to trial the Court indicated to counsel its desire to treat the trial briefs as cross motions for summary judgment. None of the parties planned to call witnesses at trial and counsel for all defendants orally stipulated to the facts stated in plaintiffs’ Exhibit # 1 (“Stipulated Facts for Trial”). As there were no genuine issues of material fact to be decided at trial and without objection from the parties, the oral argument was held as argument on cross motions for summary judgment on the constitutionality of Board of Airport Commissioners of the City of Los Angeles Resolution No. 13787. *

FACTS

Defendant Board of Airport Commissioners of the City of Los Angeles (“Board of Airport Commissioners”), pursuant to City of Los Angeles Charter § 238.4, manages and controls all airports owned by the City of Los Angeles including Los Angeles International Airport (“LAX”).

On July 13, 1983 at a special meeting the Board of Airport Commissioners adopted *1224 Resolution No. 18787 (“the Resolution”) which states in part:.

NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED by the Board of Airport Commissioners that the Central Terminal Area at Los Angeles International Airport is not open for First Amendment activities by any individual and/or entity;
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BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that if any individual or entity engages in First Amendment activities within the Central Terminal Area at Los Angeles International Airport, the City Attorney of the City of Los Angeles is directed to institute appropriate litigation against such individual and/or entity to ensure compliance with this Policy statement of the Board of Airport Commissioners;

Plaintiffs challenge the constitutionality of the Resolution on three grounds: (1) that it is unconstitutional on its face because it totally bans First Amendment activity in a public forum; (2) that the Resolution is unconstitutional as applied to plaintiffs because it only has been used to ban certain kinds of communicative conduct such as leafletting by plaintiffs; and (3) that it is unconstitutionally vague and overbroad because the term “First Amendment activities” does not give guidance to officials or the public as to what activity is prohibited. Finding the Resolution unconstitutional on its face, this Court does not reach the second and third challenges to the Resolution.

Plaintiffs are Jews for Jesus, a non-profit religious corporation, and Alan Howard Snyder, a minister of the Gospel for Jews for Jesus. On Friday, July 6, 1984 Snyder was distributing free religious literature at LAX when he was approached by a uniformed Department of Airports peace officer who showed Snyder a copy of the Resolution, explained that Snyder was in violation thereof, and asked Snyder to leave. The officer warned Snyder that if he refused to leave the City would take legal action against him. Snyder stopped distributing the leaflets and immediately left the airport terminal.

CONSTITUTIONALITY OF THE RESOLUTION

The First Amendment stops government from passing laws abridging the freedom of speech and the right of the people peaceably to assemble. U.S. Const. Amend. I. At least since 1939 it has been clear that government cannot ban First Amendment activity totally in traditionally public places. First Amendment activities in such places are, however, subject to valid time, place and manner restrictions. See e.g. Heffron v. International Society for Krishna Consciousness, 452 U.S. 640, 101 S.Ct. 2559, 69 L.Ed.2d 298 (1981). As the Supreme Court wrote in Hague v. Committee for Industrial Organization, 307 U.S. 496, 59 S.Ct. 954, 83 L.Ed. 1423 (1939):

Wherever the title of streets and parks may rest, they have immemorially been held in trust for the use of the public and, time out of mind, have been used for purposes of assembly, communicating thoughts between citizens, and discussing public questions. Such use of the streets and public places has, from ancient times, been a part of the privileges, immunities, rights, and liberties of citizens. The privilege of a citizen of the United States to use the streets and parks for communication of views on national questions may be regulated in the interest of all; it is not absolute, but relative and must be exercised in subordination to the general comfort and convenience, and in consonance with peace and good order; but it must not, in the guise of regulation, be abridged or denied.

307 U.S. at 515-16, 59 S.Ct. at 964 (emphasis added).

The resolution being challenged by plaintiffs here completely bans First Amendment activity in the Central Terminal of LAX and therefore must be struck down if the Central Terminal is a public forum like the streets and parks discussed in Hague. The question then facing the Court is whether a municipally owned and operated airport terminal is a public forum. The question is easily answered. Numerous appellate opinions have held that airport terminals are public forums. Kuszynski v. *1225 City of Oakland, 479 F.2d 1130 (9th Cir.1973) is the seminal case on the subject. The ordinance challenged and struck down in Kuszynski provided that “The use of the Airport for the purpose of exercising free expression and communication ... shall not be allowed to impair or interfere with the transportation function of the airport. The exercise of such rights shall be in accordance with [certain rules and regulations].” Among other things, the regulations required approval of the airport manager before an exercise of First Amendment rights and limited leafleting to four hours. In a brief opinion the court concluded, “Since the airport is public property ... free speech may be abridged only by regulations narrowly drawn to serve legitimate interests of the general public who use the airport.” Id. at 1131. The court found the ordinance invalid because there was no showing that the restrictions were reasonable. The court ordered the district court to “enjoin the enforcement of those portions of the ordinance not found to be reasonably necessary to airport management.” Id.

This Court need go no further in analyzing the Board of Airport Commissioner’s case. It is obvious from the one page opinion of the Ninth Circuit in Kuszynski that airports are public forums. While it belabors the obvious to address the question further, the Court will briefly discuss other precedents supportive of plaintiffs’ argument.

In Rosen v. Port of Portland,

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Bluebook (online)
661 F. Supp. 1223, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/jews-for-jesus-inc-v-board-of-airport-commissioners-cacd-1985.