U.S. District Court Judge James Sweeney II, of the southern district, ruled in favor of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press and a coalition of other journalism groups and media outlets. (Getty Images)
A federal judge late Friday blocked a law creating a 25-foot buffer zone around law enforcement officers during certain activities.
U.S. District Court Judge James Sweeney II, of the southern district, ruled in favor of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press and a coalition of other Hoosier journalism organizations and media outlets.
The Indiana Attorney General’s Office had sought to dismiss the case , which the judge denied.
“Simply being within twenty-five feet of a police officer is not a crime, and indeed, important First Amendment rights are regularly exercised within twenty-five feet of law enforcement every single day,” Sweeney said.
But he focused his ruling on a 14 th Amendment vagueness claim.
“This is not specific enough to allow the general public or reporters to know how to conduct themselves to avoid receiving an order to move,” the 26-page decision said.