A former marine who was ordered to remove an outlandish eight-foot sign from his porch is celebrating a win for free speech after local officials revised their ban.
Pennsylvania resident Dave Bliler on Tuesday said he had ‘shut down’ the restrictions imposed on him by the borough and once again raised a ‘F**k the government’ sign on his property.
The Bliler family took legal action against what they called an ‘unconstitutional infringement’ of their First Amendment rights by Olyphant Borough, which had threatened to fine them.
The borough did not answer DailyMail.com’s request for comment.
Bliler said he was inspired to fight the ban by a Supreme Court ruling that ‘government has no power to restrict expression.’
A first amendment battle unfolded as residents of Olyphant Borough, Pennsylvania, challenge the borough sign ordinance against the monstrosity situated on the front porch of their home that reads ‘F*** THE GOVERNMENT’ in bold red font
‘That ideal inspired me to put up my sign,’ he told DailyMail.com on Tuesday.
‘I’m grateful that our lawsuit could shut down the borough’s restrictions on our most basic right to free speech.’
Americans have long distrusted their government, and complaints against it are common — though not always expressed in such direct terms as on the Blilers’ sign.
Lawyer Harmeet Dhillon
In recent years, anti-government feeling has motivated the right, meaning the borough’s restrictions could be seen as partisan.
Plaintiffs Dave, Chelsea, and Paige Bliler brought the case against the Olyphant Borough, Pennsylvania and William Shigo, the Borough’s Zoning Officer.
Their suit was in response to an enforcement letter, alleging a violation of the sign ordinance, threatening a $500 fine, and mandating a permitting process by the borough.
The rule imposed a one-sign limit, not exceeding six square feet, subject to a content-reviewing permitting process.
The Blilers took down the offending sign, but also took legal action late last year.
Under this week’s settlement, the borough revised its rules and now lets residents display up to three signs, each with a maximum size of sixteen square feet
It also eliminates the need for a permit.
Their lawyer, Harmeet Dhillon, CEO and founder of the conservative Center for American Liberty, hailed a victory over a ‘foundational principle of our republic.’
The Blilers have proudly raised their ‘F*** THE GOVERNMENT’ sign once again, a stark critique of government failures in recent years
The Bliler family took legal action against what they perceive as an ‘unconstitutional infringement’ on their First Amendment rights
In 2021, A New Jersey woman has won an appeal to keep her ‘F**k Biden’ banner just over a week after a local judge ordered her to remove them or face a $250-a-day fine
It ‘sends a powerful message that Olyphant Borough’s sign ordinance and enforcement actions flagrantly violated the Constitution by imposing unnecessary restrictions and outright banning protected political speech,’ she added.
In a similar case from 2021, a New Jersey woman won an appeal to keep her ‘F**k Biden’ banner after a local judge ordered her to remove it or face a $250-a-day fine
Andrea Dick, 54, hung 10 pro-Trump signs on her Roselle Park home, where she lives with her mom, that included the former president extending two middle fingers over the words ‘F**k Biden’.
Municipal Court Judge Gary Bundy ordered Dick to take down three of the 10 signs or face a daily fine of $250 because they violated local public obscenity laws.
But Judge Bundy’s ruling was vacated by the state’s Supreme Court after the ACLU got involved and warned that Bundy’s edict violated Dick’s First Amendment right to freedom of speech.
The civil liberties organization challenged the original ruling, with New Jersey’s Supreme Court agreeing.
