Ryan Bates has been recognized by the Texas Lawyer as its October 15 edition “Litigator of the Week” in connection with a recent ruling issued by U.S. District Judge Lee Yeakel involving two protesters who filed suit after receiving criminal trespass notices while protesting at Austin’s City Hall during the Occupy Austin protests last fall. At that time the City of Austin was enforcing a policy which banned those who received trespass warnings from returning to City Hall for as long as one year.
Judge Yeakel agreed with our arguments that the city’s policy was facially unconstitutional, and the policy deprived protesters of their First Amendment right to free speech, as well as their right to due process under the Fourteenth Amendment.
Ryan Bates led the trial team, which included Anna Rotman, Cam Barker, Kevin Terrazas, and former Yetter Coleman lawyers, Ed Dawson and Rich Farrer. Jim Harrington and Brian McGiverin of the Texas Civil Rights Project were also involved. Read Texas Lawyer article. Read the Final Judgment and Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law.