by Sam Hananel, Associated Press <\/p>\n
kgw.com <\/p>\n
Posted on May 27, 2014 at 9:06 AM <\/p>\n
Updated today at 9:09 AM <\/p>\n
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed protesters free-speech claims against two Secret Service agents who were guarding President George W. Bush during a 2004 campaign trip to Oregon. <\/p>\n
In a unanimous decision, the justices said the agents did not violate the protesters' First Amendment rights by moving them farther away from the president while allowing pro-Bush demonstrators to stay nearby. <\/p>\n
The protesters claimed the agents moved them only because their loud chants were disturbing Bush's dinner on an outdoor patio and not for genuine security reasons. <\/p>\n
The Obama administration said the actions were proper crowd control tactics and argued that agents who make on-the-spot decisions about the president's security should be shielded from liability. <\/p>\n
Writing for the court, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said no legal precedent would have alerted the agents \"that they bear a First Amendment obligation to ensure that groups with different viewpoints are at comparable locations all times.\" <\/p>\n
Ginsburg said the protesters' claims are also undermined by a map of the area, which showed that their location presented a potential security risk to the president while the location of pro-Bush supporters did not. The agents, therefore, had a valid security reason for their actions and are entitled to immunity from private lawsuits, she said. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Read the original here: <\/p>\n
High court dismisses Portland protester case against Secret Service<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" by Sam Hananel, Associated Press kgw.com Posted on May 27, 2014 at 9:06 AM Updated today at 9:09 AM WASHINGTON (AP) - The Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed protesters free-speech claims against two Secret Service agents who were guarding President George W. Bush during a 2004 campaign trip to Oregon. Continue reading