{"id":2405972,"date":"2025-02-24T11:16:02","date_gmt":"2025-02-24T16:16:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/clarence-thomas-urges-supreme-court-to-revisit-abortion-clinic-free-speech-limits\/"},"modified":"2025-02-24T11:20:13","modified_gmt":"2025-02-24T16:20:13","slug":"clarence-thomas-urges-supreme-court-to-revisit-abortion-clinic-free-speech-limits","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/clarence-thomas-urges-supreme-court-to-revisit-abortion-clinic-free-speech-limits\/","title":{"rendered":"Clarence Thomas urges Supreme Court to revisit abortion clinic free speech limits"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fclarence-thomas-urges-supreme-court-to-revisit-abortion-clinic-free-speech-limits%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2405972&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas expressed strong\u2064 dissent after\u200d the Court decided not too review a case that questioned First Amendment restrictions on protests \u200coutside\u2063 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/rnc-chair-condemns-biden-abortion-policy\/\" title=\"RNC chair condemns Biden abortion policy\">abortion clinics<\/a>. He criticized the Supreme \u2062Court&#8217;s refusal to\u2064 revisit Hill v. Colorado, a precedent that established &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/washington-abortion-clinic-protesters-have-restrictions-eased\/\" title=\"Washington Abortion Clinic Protesters Have Restrictions Eased\">buffer zones<\/a>&#8221; around such clinics, which he believes\u200c has caused ongoing confusion in lower courts. In his\u200b dissent,Thomas argued that these <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">zones impose content-based \u200drestrictions<\/a> on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/project-veritas-strips-cnn-naked\/\" title=\"Project Veritas Strips CNN Naked\">free speech<\/a> that should receive\u200d heightened\u2062 scrutiny. This dissent arose from a case, Coalition Life v. city\u200b of Carbondale,\u200b where local officials enacted\u200b a law preventing protesters from approaching\u2062 individuals near clinics without consent. Although the law\u200d was repealed in 2024, \u2062Thomas\u200c emphasized that it still affected First Amendment rights. Justice Samuel alito \u2062supported hearing the petition\u2062 for the\u200c case,\u2063 but Thomas warned that the ambiguity surrounding the Hill \u200dprecedent\u2063 would continue, highlighting the Court&#8217;s \u200bobligation to clarify it.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Clarence Thomas urges Supreme Court to revisit abortion clinic free speech limits<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1994517\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>Justice <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/clarence-thomas\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Clarence Thomas<\/a> issued a forceful dissent on Monday after the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/supreme-court\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Supreme Court<\/a> declined to hear&nbsp;a case challenging First Amendment restrictions for protesters outside <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/abortion\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">abortion<\/a> clinics. <\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>Thomas, an appointee of former President George H.W. Bush, criticized the Supreme Court&rsquo;s refusal to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-constitution-vindicates-trumps-firing-of-inspectors-general\/\" title=\"The Constitution Vindicates Trump&#039;s Firing Of Inspectors General\">revisit&#038;nbsp<\/a>;<em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/1528158\/supreme-court-tapped-to-review-law-blocking-protests-near-abortion-clinics\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Hill v. Colorado<\/a><\/em>&nbsp;(2000), a precedent that upheld so-called free speech &ldquo;buffer zones&rdquo; around clinics, calling the decision a failure to resolve long-standing confusion among lower courts.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas stands onstage after addressing the Federalist Society&rsquo;s National Lawyers Convention dinner at National Harbor, in Oxon Hill, MD, Thursday, Nov. 17, 2016. (AP Photo\/Cliff Owen)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&ldquo;The Court today declines an invitation to set the record straight on&nbsp;<em>Hill&rsquo;s<\/em>&nbsp;defunct status,&rdquo; Thomas wrote, emphasizing that the ruling had &ldquo;contradicted more than a half-century of well-established First Amendment principles.&rdquo; He argued that despite being effectively undermined by recent cases such as&nbsp;<em>Dobbs v. Jackson Women&rsquo;s Health Organization<\/em>&nbsp;(2022), lower courts still feel compelled to uphold&nbsp;<em>Hill<\/em>&nbsp;due to the Supreme Court&rsquo;s inaction.<\/p>\n<p>The case in question on Monday, <em>Coalition Life v. City of Carbondale<\/em>, originated in Carbondale, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/illinois\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Illinois<\/a>, where local officials enacted a law that barred protesters from approaching within eight feet of individuals near abortion clinics without consent. The ordinance, modeled directly after the Colorado statute upheld in&nbsp;<em>Hill<\/em>, was repealed in 2024, but Coalition Life, a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/missouri\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Missouri<\/a>-based pro-life group, continued its lawsuit, seeking to strike down similar laws nationwide.<\/p>\n<p>Thomas contended that the Carbondale ordinance and others like it impose content-based restrictions on speech, which should be subjected to the highest level of judicial scrutiny. He criticized the original&nbsp;<em>Hill<\/em>&nbsp;ruling for distorting First Amendment protections, arguing that &ldquo;buffer zones like the one at issue are obviously and undeniably content-based.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/supreme-court\/3326708\/progressives-silent-court-packing-trump\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"PROGRESSIVES GO SILENT ON COURT-PACKING WITH TRUMP IN OFFICE\">PROGRESSIVES GO SILENT ON COURT-PACKING WITH TRUMP IN OFFICE<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Although Carbondale repealed the ordinance in the summer of 2024, Thomas said this was &ldquo;not fatal to petitioner&rsquo;s claims,&rdquo; noting that the ordinance was in effect for over a year and a half, and Coalition Life sought nominal damages for the infringement of First Amendment rights.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito joins other members of the Supreme Court as they pose for a new group portrait, Oct. 7, 2022, at the Supreme Court building in Washington, D.C. (AP Photo\/J. Scott Applewhite, File)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Justice <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/samuel-alito\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Samuel Alito<\/a>, an appointee of George W. Bush, said he supported granting the petition to hear the <em>Coalition Life<\/em> case.<\/p>\n<p>While the Supreme Court&rsquo;s refusal leaves lower court rulings in place, Thomas warned that the confusion surrounding&nbsp;<em>Hill<\/em>&nbsp;would persist. &ldquo;We are responsible for the confusion among the lower courts,&rdquo; he concluded. &ldquo;And it is our job to fix it.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1994517\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1994517\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Clarence Thomas calls for Supreme Court to reconsider abortion protest speech limits<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2633,"featured_media":2405973,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/clarence-thomas-1024x599.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[50969,34632,32311,47286,32275],"class_list":["post-2405972","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-abortion-clinic","tag-clarence-thomas","tag-free-speech","tag-legal-advocacy","tag-supreme-court"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/clarence-thomas-1024x599.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2405972","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2633"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2405972"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2405972\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2405977,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2405972\/revisions\/2405977"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2405973"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2405972"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2405972"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2405972"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}