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Home » News » Archives » Settlement Agreement Guarantees Leafleting At All Public Doors into McCormick Place
Settlement Agreement Guarantees Leafleting At All Public Doors into McCormick Place May 19, 2005 CHICAGO - All people and organizations will have the opportunity to hand out leaflets at all public entry and exit points at Chicago's McCormick Place Convention Center, under the terms of a negotiated settlement agreement presented in federal district court in Chicago today. The settlement with the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority (MPEA), the government body that oversees McCormick Place, successfully concludes First Amendment litigation brought by the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois (ACLU) on behalf of two activists -- Katherine Albrecht and Quentin Young -- who sought to broaden their opportunity to effectively communicate with people attending conventions at McCormick Place. McCormick Place is considered the nation's premier convention facility, hosting more than four million visitors each year. It is regularly the site for business, professional, educational and governmental events. "This agreement reinforces and protects one of our most critical constitutional values - free speech on matters of public concern in public places," said Adam Schwartz of the ACLU of Illinois. The lawsuit settled today was filed in September 2003 on behalf of Ms. Albrecht, a consumer rights advocate who sought to express her objections about a privacy-invading product-labeling technology known as "Radio Frequency Identification" or "RFID," to visitors to a McCormick Place convention regarding that technology. The lawsuit was joined in May 2004 by Dr. Young, a universal health care advocate who sought to express his views to visitors to a McCormick Place convention of health care professionals. "Hopefully, this settlement agreement will not only ensure free speech at McCormick Place, but will also serve as a model and thereby promote free speech at other large convention centers across the country," said Ms. Albrecht. "The import of McCormick Place in the economic and political life of Chicago and the nation is obvious," added Bill Gibbons of the Chicago office of Latham & Watkins who assisted the ACLU in this litigation. "We are pleased that the MPEA has agreed to ensure leafleting outside all the public doors into McCormick Place -- fostering critical discussion about important issues." Editor's Note: Press interviews with either Ms. Albrecht or Dr. Young regarding this settlement can be arranged through the ACLU of Illinois. |
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