Juvenile curfew laws are unconstitutional?
Published Wed, Apr 18 2007 9:03 AM
Technorati Tags: ACLU
Can someone explain to me where in the constitution local governments are prohibited from establishing curfew laws? From the Oregonian via OregonLive.com:
The American Civil Liberties Union of Oregon plans to file a federal lawsuit against the city of Lake Oswego on Wednesday, challenging its curfew law.
The civil rights organization is filing suit on behalf of four Lake Oswego teenagers who attempted to change the law on their own, without success.
It must be in amendment 28 of the Constitution where it says "No local government may enact a law restricting minors from wandering the streets at night, whether for purposes of public safety or to prevent other crimes or to protect said minors from potential violence."
Oh wait, that's right, there IS no 28th amendment yet.
The students decided to challenge the curfew law as part of a political action seminar at Lake Oswego High School. In December, they asked the City Council to abolish the ordinance, calling it unconstitutional.
The ordinance, based on a statewide curfew law, forbids children younger than 14 to be on the streets between 9:15 p.m. and 6 a.m. Those 14 to 18 can be out for another hour Sunday through Thursday and until midnight on Friday and Saturday and during the summer. It allows an exemption for youths who are attending night school, have late-night jobs or are "engaged in any entertainment."
The ACLU... an organization hell-bent on preventing the application of common sense in government. The ACLU... working to undermine the American way of life in every way possible.
Hat tip to OrbusMax.
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