JUL 14, 4:13 PM

Montgomery County Ramps Up Enforcement Of Protests Outside Supreme Court Justices’ Homes

Jenny Gathright | https://twitter.com/jennygathright

Police in Montgomery County say they will step up enforcement of disorderly conduct and protest-related laws as part of an effort to respond to protests outside the homes of Supreme Court justices. ... “MCPD supports the first amendment right to protest, however anyone violating the disorderly conduct statute, may be subject to arrest,” the department tweeted Wednesday evening. Montgomery County police also updated its website and placed the county’s protest laws and disorderly conduct laws prominently on its homepage.

Link to tweet

Earl Stoddard, the county’s assistant chief administrative officer, wrote on Twitter that a “point of emphasis” for county law enforcement would be the portion of state law prohibiting people from “making an unreasonably loud noise” or “willfully disturb[ing] the peace” at someone’s home. Police have said they will allow quiet or silent protests, but will crack down on louder forms of protest like the use of bullhorns or drums. ... Montgomery County Police did not immediately respond to questions about what kind of punishment could result from violating these laws.

Link to tweet

The messaging from the county comes after weeks of protests outside the Chevy Chase homes of Justice Brett Kavanaugh and Chief Justice John Roberts, who live less than a mile apart. Since May, when a draft of the court decision ending the constitutional right to an abortion in the United States was leaked and published, protesters have repeatedly gathered outside their homes and the homes of other conservative justices in northern Virginia. Protests – both outside the Supreme Court and outside the homes of conservatives justices – accelerated after the Supreme Court officially overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling in June, a move that will drastically curtail access to abortion across vast swaths of the country.

On Wednesday night, protesters proceeded with a demonstration outside Kavanaugh’s home, abiding with new rules they called “constitutionally questionable.” They refrained from using bullhorns or any kind of amplification tools, and instead sang quietly while marching along the sidewalk. ... “We felt like they were putting us in a corner,” Sadie Kuhns, an organizer with the group Our Rights DC, tells DCist/WAMU. “There wasn’t much we could do besides just continuing to use our voices, as is our First Amendment right.”

Link to tweet

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Kuhns says organizers are still talking through how they will approach their protests given the escalation of police enforcement. However, they add: “We’re not going to stop.” ... Kuhns also says they will start advertising the protests differently. ... “When it comes to the plans for the future of the protests at Kavanaugh’s specifically, we are just going to make sure people know there’s an increased risk there where there wasn’t before,” says Kuhns. “We used to advertise it as a place where you could come and voice your opinion and use your First Amendment freedom, but we’re going to let people know it’s a much different environment now.”