comscore Judge rules in favor of Big Island homeless man | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
Top News

Judge rules in favor of Big Island homeless man

Honolulu Star-Advertiser logo
Unlimited access to premium stories for as low as $12.95 /mo.
Get It Now

A federal judge is prohibiting Hawaii County from interfering with a homeless man using a sign while panhandling.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Hawaii says the ruling protects free speech. The ACLU filed a lawsuit earlier this month on behalf of Justin Guy, a homeless man who was cited by police for standing on a Kailua-Kona road holding a sign saying “Homeless Please Help.”

Charges against Justin Guy were eventually dropped. But his lawyers say the law remains on the books and is unconstitutional.

U.S. District Judge Susan Mollway granted a temporary restraining order against the county Firday.

The county says the ordinance restricts aggressive or unsafe acts of solicitation while respecting First Amendment Rights.

A Jan. 21 court hearing will address the constitutionality of the county’s solicitation laws.

Comments have been disabled for this story...

Click here to see our full coverage of the coronavirus outbreak. Submit your coronavirus news tip.

Be the first to know
Get web push notifications from Star-Advertiser when the next breaking story happens — it's FREE! You just need a supported web browser.
Subscribe for this feature

Scroll Up