Trial opens in Port Authority advertisement case

Attorneys suing the Port Authority for its refusal to run advertisements informing ex-felons of their right to vote in Pennsylvania only got through two witnesses yesterday in the opening day of trial.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania and the Pittsburgh League of Young Voters Education Fund filed the lawsuit against the Port Authority in August 2006.

The bench trial is being heard by U.S. District Judge Terrence F. McVerry and is expected to last through the week.

The Port Authority has said that its advertising policy forbids running non-commercial ads. Attorney Gregory Krock argued that if the agency runs the voting rights ad, it could open his client up to having to run ads for groups like the Ku Klux Klan or for abortion rights, which could deter ridership.

The ACLU, however, argues that the Port Authority is violating free speech rights and is engaging in viewpoint discrimination.

Yesterday, Barb Feige, the director of the ACLU of Pennsylvania's Pittsburgh office, testified throughout the morning, and Khari Mosley, the former director of the Pittsburgh League of Young Voters, testified in the afternoon.