NEW YORK—New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani today vetoed a bill that would have restricted protest outside schools and educational facilities, a measure that would have given the New York Police Department (NYPD) broad authority to regulate political expression in public spaces. The Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University has warned that both bills, including the one relating to houses of worship, passed by the City Council in March with a veto-proof majority, raised serious constitutional concerns and threatened to chill lawful protest at some of the city’s most important sites of public discourse.

The following can be attributed to Xiangnong (George) Wang, staff attorney at the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University:

“We welcome the Mayor’s veto of legislation that would have charged the NYPD with setting the rules around lawful political protest near thousands of schools and educational facilities across the city. This measure risks chilling and even criminalizing a wide range of speech the First Amendment protects, particularly at some of the city’s most vital sites for public discourse. Governments shouldn’t entrust law enforcement with determining the limits of political expression.”

For more information, contact: Adriana Lamirande, [email protected]