After Aurora Pride offered criticism of police, the Aurora police department could not get enough police officers to volunteer to work the Aurora Pride parade and offered triple overtime to entice officers to work. When those costs were then passed on to the organizers of Aurora Pride, were the first amendment rights of the organizers violated? That's the question behind a lawsuit from Aurora Pride, who claim city officials tried to silence its anti-police message by threatening to cancel the parade and then billing the full triple-overtime costs. Professor Jason Mazzone is quoted in an opinion article from the News-Gazette examining the lawsuit and the constitutional issues at its heart.
Read the full editorial on the News-Gazette's website.