Bradford County Board of Commissioners: Public Meeting Participation Policy

Pennsylvania’s Bradford County Board of Commissioners maintains a Public Meeting Participation Policy that unconstitutionally restricts speech. The policy’s “decorum” provision bars public commenters from making “abusive or profane remarks and slanderous, personal attacks.” The policy also allots time for “press inquiries” without defining who qualifies as press, which resulted in the exclusion of a citizen journalist who often criticizes the board. 

On December 10, FIRE wrote the board, calling on it to amend the decorum policy and to adopt constitutionally compliant standards governing participation in the “press inquiries” portion of meetings.