The world has been witnessing democracy in action.
From Egypt to Wisconsin, citizens are exercising their right to free speech and association by demonstrating in their state capitol or town square.
Unfortunately, just as Michiganders were gearing up to demonstrate against budget cuts and the undermining of collective bargaining, the Snyder administration banned all signs in the rotunda of the Michigan Capitol.
For years, individuals have been able to express themselves in the rotunda and hallways of the Capitol by simply carrying a sign on an issue that is important to them.
People have held up signs on virtually every issue ranging from opposition to abortion to support for building another bridge to Canada. The only restriction has been that the signs could not be attached to sticks.
The decision to ban people from holding up signs in the Capitol is unfair, undemocratic and it raises serious constitutional concerns. However, there is much more than legal doctrine implicated by this decision.
Barring Michiganders from expressing themselves with signs in the very building where life-altering laws are enacted places core democratic values at stake.
Our democracy was founded on the principle that people have the right to oppose and speak out against government policies.
Equally basic to our founding principles is the idea that that government cannot pick and choose which viewpoints can be expressed and which viewpoints must be censored.
The Snyder administration’s decision to ban all signs from the Capitol rotunda violates both of these core principles.
Yesterday we sent a letter to the Snyder administration calling on them to reconsider the decision to ban signs from the Capitol and immediately return to the longstanding tradition of honoring Michiganders’ free speech rights.
It is ironic that at a time when the people from around the word are looking to America as the model for democracy and free expression, Michigan is moving away from those core American principles by limiting political speech in the Capitol.
As state lawmakers make decisions that will impact every Michigander, voters should, at a minimum be able to express their views with a sign.
By Zainab Akbar, legal fellow