US: The US Supreme Court yesterday rejected a free-speech challenge to a New York law banning the wearing of masks at public gatherings by a group claiming ties to the Ku Klux Klan.
Without comment, the justices let stand a ruling by a US appeals court that upheld the law as constitutional and rejected the challenge by the Church of the American Knights of the Ku Klux Klan.
The group advocates white separatism and "white pride." It calls itself an "ideological descendant" of the original Klan, but says it does not use violence. Members wear white robes and hooded masks at public rallies and demonstrations, just like the Klan.
In 1999 the American Knights filed a lawsuit arguing that the refusal of New York City police officials to allow it to conduct a rally wearing hooded masks violated its free-speech rights under the First Amendment of the Constitution.
A federal judge in 2002 ruled that the law violated the group's free-speech rights, but a US appeals court early this year upheld the anti-mask law as constitutional.
"Since the robe and the hood alone clearly serve to identify the American Knights with the Klan, we conclude that the mask does not communicate any message that the robe and hood do not," the appeals court said.
Attorneys from the American Civil Liberties Union, which has represented the group during the legal battle, appealed to the Supreme Court.
They argued the appeals court was wrong in concluding that the right of anonymous speech does not cover a right to conceal one's appearance at a public demonstration because of fear of retaliation and harassment.
The attorneys said the ruling could have a broad impact, affecting other groups across the political spectrum.
For example, "persons of Iranian descent who protested against the shah and who wore masks out of fear of reprisals against family members in Iran would not have been protected," they said. - (Reuters)