Story: ACLU Nebraska

Good news for homeowners' free speech rights: Prior to the 2008 elections, ACLU Nebraska battled with cities trying to limit when homeowners could display political signs in their yards. Good news from those battles: every city we heard a complaint from backed down. Bellevue, Lincoln, and Gothenburg all agreed that the First Amendment's guarantee of free speech protects political yard signs year round. All three cities agreed to either amend their city laws or at least stop enforcing them. The municipalities also proactively contacted candidates running for office to let the candidates know about the change in city laws so that they could immediately begin giving signs to their supporters.

One homeowner in Bellevue had been visited by police, who informed her she had to take down her yard sign or face criminal penalties. She wrote us "The day after you threatened to sue the city, I saw a political yard sign a couple of blocks away. My husband called the city, found out signs were now legal to display because the ACLU ‘made them back down,' so we ran right out and put up our signs. Thanks so much for your intervention!"