Judge Rules On Parade Case, Right To Assemble

"A judge late on Monday took a bite out of the city's efforts to rein in the monthly Critical Mass rides when he ruled that the New York City law barring people from "parading without a permit" is unconstitutional...New York City Criminal Court Judge Gerald Harris ruled that the parade permit law is 'hopelessly overbroad' and 'constitutes a burden on free expression that is more than the First Amendment can bear.'"

The law had been used to make mass arrests during cyclist demonstrations as well as for rounding up protestors during the Republican Convention. While some dismissed the ruling as "erroneous" or inconsequential, cyclists in particular see a major victory.