WASHINGTON -- A Stratton, Ohio, town ordinance is shutting the door on Jehovah's Witnesses by barring them and others from door-to-door solicitations without a permit, according to an Associated Press report.
The Supreme Court is expected to rule by July on whether such laws violate the constitutional right to free speech. Jehovah's Witnesses' lawyers contend the church does not need permission to take their teachings door to door with leaflets.
The court already has held that the Constitution gives people the right to distribute anonymous campaign literature. A ruling for the church in this case would extend that right to anonymous door-to-door soliciting for any cause. Stratton leaders claim the permits are free and no applicant has been denied.
The Mormons, Independent Baptist Churches of America, Gun Owners of America and the American Civil Liberties Union are among more than a dozen organizations supporting the church. The Jehovah's Witnesses claim to spend more than a billion hours each year telling others about their religion. Most of their efforts involve door-to-door invitations to hear the group's teachings.
