Klan loses NY appeal, must unmask for rallyAssociated Press
NEW YORK - A federal appeals panel ruled Friday that New York City can force the Ku Klux Klan to unmask at a weekend rally because the city is enforcing a law, not discriminating against the group's message.
City officials had agreed to allow the rally, but only if KKK members went without their traditional hooded white masks. They cited an 1845 law that bars people from congregating in masks or disguises except for authorized events, such as masquerades.
The New York Civil Liberties Union sued on KKK's behalf, accusing the city of violating the group's First Amendment rights.
On Thursday, after hearing from KKK members who said they had been attacked and their homes had been burned, two federal Judges agreed and said that the masks were not being used solely to strike fear into others but also to protect those speaking out.
This week's rulings define only the ground rules for today's rally. The wider First Amendment issues in the lawsuit will be argued in court in coming months.
KKK officials said the group chose New York for the rally to try to overturn the mask law. The group has won legal victories over mask statutes in Indiana and Pennsylvania. The KKK plans to hold the Manhattan rally - without masks.