Summary
The Frederick Douglass Foundation and Students for Life of America filed a lawsuit against Washington, D.C. after city officials refused to grant permission for the two advocacy groups to paint a pro-life message on a city street shortly after city officials allowed the painting of other messages on a different street. When members of the pro-life groups began to chalk temporary messages on a sidewalk, police arrested them.
Case timeline
- November 2020: ADF attorneys representing the Frederick Douglass Foundation and SFLA filed a lawsuit against the District.
- October 2021: ADF attorneys appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit after a lower court dismissed the case.
- August 2023: The D.C. Circuit Court reversed the lower court’s decision and ruled that the lawsuit could proceed.







Commentary
Free speech is not only for the politically favored
Erin Hawley
September 05, 2023
Washington D.C.’s free-speech double standard blesses BLM but punishes pro-lifers
Elissa Graves
August 10, 2021