Court rules DC transit agency's ban on religious ads violates First Amendment
One of the rejected ads in Wallbuilders v. WMATA. (Courtesy image)
On May 21, a US District Court ruled in favor of WallBuilders, a religious nonprofit banned from displaying its ads on Washington, DC, buses, in its lawsuit challenging the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s advertisement policy.
In its lawsuit filed in December, WallBuilders claimed the WMATA’s ad guidelines discriminated against certain opinions and violated the First Amendment.
The agency rejected the WallBuilders campaign on the grounds that it violated its commercial advertising guidelines, which prohibit ads that “promote or oppose any religion, religious practice or belief” and “influence members of the public regarding an issue on which there are varying opinions.”
