A United States District Court judge in the District of Minnesota has denied the City of Minneapolis’ Motion to Dismiss a First Amendment rights lawsuit brought by life advocates over the city’s abortion buffer zone. The court order, issued October 30, 2023, allows the federal lawsuit, filed in April 2023 by Thomas More Society on behalf of Pro-Life Action Ministries, to continue.

Judge Tostrud denied the City of Minneapolis' Motion to Dismiss with respect to its challenges of the "freedom-of-speech, free-exercise-of-religion, and overbreadth claims." "Without a developed record, it is not possible to answer the 'narrowly tailored' question in this case at this motion-to-dismiss stage," Judge Tostrud wrote in response to Thomas More Society's charge that Minneapolis' regulation First Amendment speech is unconstitutionally burdensome.

The motion was granted with respect to the freedom of association and vagueness claims.

Read the Order and Opinion denying the City of Minneapolis' Motion to Dismiss, issued on October 30, 2023, by Judge Eric Tostrud of the United States District Court, District of Minnesota in Pro-Life Action Ministries, et al. v. City of Minneapolis here. Read more about the Thomas More Society work to protect First Amendment rights in the face of Minneapolis’ abortion buffer zone ordinance here.

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