For Immediate Release
October 16, 2001
Jehovah's Witnesses seek to protect fundamental freedom in the Supreme Court
The First Amendment right to free speech has been challenged for some time now in the village of Stratton, Ohio. In the early 1980s, a village policeman chased a group of Jehovah's Witnesses out of town when they were performing their hallmark door-to-door ministry, telling them, "I could care less about your rights."
Early in 1998, three women who were Jehovah's Witnesses were in the village to continue discussions with individuals who had previously shown an interest in their Bible message. When they had completed their visits and were driving away from the village, the local mayor stopped them and told them that they were not allowed to be in the village and that if they had been men, he would have taken them and put them in jail. He said that people had moved to the village with the understanding that they would not be bothered by Jehovah's Witnesses. The congregation and the legal representatives of Watchtower saw the implications of these actions and filed suit against the village contesting the requirement that individuals need a permit to engage in door-to-door activity. Both the District Court and the Court of Appeals upheld the village requirement. On Monday, October 15, 2001, the United States Supreme Court granted Watchtower's request for review.
The events in Stratton might raise some concern to any who recall the harsher denials of civil liberties and the persecution against some Christians that occurred in the midst of wartime fever decades ago in this country. Then, in some places opposition to the work of Jehovah's Witnesses escalated, and they were run out of town, sometimes after being beaten, tarred and feathered. It took court cases in one place after another to define, clarify and protect the freedom of speech that the Bill of Rights assured.
"Freedom of speech is a fundamental right that every citizen of the United States should cherish," commented Paul Polidoro, legal representative for Jehovah's Witnesses. "When you don't have the freedom to knock on your neighbors' door to talk about a matter without the permission of the town, then everyone should worry."
Last year Shawn Francis Peters was interviewed on the topic of his book Judging Jehovah's Witnesses, which outlines specifics of many of the cases and surrounding events. In one response he stated, "What struck me about the story of the Witnesses was that these 'outsiders' had such a positive impact on how the Constitution has been interpreted over the past half-century."
Court cases involving Jehovah's Witnesses make up a significant portion of U.S. and Canadian law relating to freedom of religion, freedom of speech, and freedom of the press. These cases have done much to preserve the liberties of people in general. The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled in favor of Jehovah's Witnesses in 47 cases.
"Like it or not," observed American author and editor Irving Dillard, "Jehovah's Witnesses have done more to help preserve our freedoms than any other religious group."
Contact J. R. Brown, telephone: (718) 560-5600