MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. — Montgomery County Police are reminding residents of the county and state laws surrounding protest and assembly in the midst of frequent protests outside the homes of U.S. Supreme Court justices.
On the website, the justices highlight laws surrounding protest and disorderly conduct.
"The Montgomery County Department of Police is committed to preserving the first amendment rights of all individuals," a statement on the homepage says. "There are content neutral Montgomery County Code and Maryland Law provisions that restrict protesting and assembling in a private neighborhood, as well as disturbing the peace. To assist in educating the community, a list of the most common laws that can have an impact on protest or assembly is available here."
The laws on protesting specify a variety of guidance for how to practice first amendment rights in accordance with the law, including the fact that protesters are not allowed to picket in front of private residences; rather, they are allowed to march through neighborhoods without making a particular stop.
It also specifies that before a picketer is ultimately charged with disturbing the public peace, disorderly conduct, or temporary detention, they must first be warned by police. Read the document in full by clicking here.
Although the laws have been emphasized by police, just last week, the department stated that they will continue to allow peaceful protests near the homes of Supreme Court Justices, according to County Executive Marc Elrich.
Elrich accused the Supreme Court’s chief security official and the court's conservative justices of media grandstanding after the court went public with letters to local authorities in Maryland and Virginia demanding they use local ordinances to shut down protests near the homes of justices.
“I think all you got to do is look at Putin's Russia, and get an idea of where you don't want to go," Elrich said. "This idea where people can gather together and if you gather together you're gonna be arrested. That's not happening here.”
Similar letters were sent to Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin and the Fairfax County Police Department.
Sign up for the Get Up DC newsletter: Your forecast. Your commute. Your news.
Sign up for the Capitol Breach email newsletter, delivering the latest breaking news and a roundup of the investigation into the Capitol Riots on January 6, 2021.