Deferio v. City of Ithaca

Summary

City of Ithaca, N.Y., police officers informed Jim Deferio, a Christian, that he could not share his faith at Ithaca Commons, a traditional public forum that includes a variety of expressive activities. Officers refused to recognize Deferio’s right to free speech, even after he showed them a court order prohibiting them from enforcing a so-called “noise” ordinance. In 2009, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York issued a consent judgement against the city of Ithaca.