Judge Asked to Void Pierce Rules on Flyers

Jews for Jesus on Monday asked a federal judge to prohibit Pierce College from interfering with the Los Angeles religious organization’s distribution of religious tracts on campus.

James Aquirre, an attorney for the Los Angeles Community College District, said Pierce today will fight the request for a temporary restraining order before U.S. District Judge James M. Ideman. Aquirre said the college had decided not to request a court order of its own to bar the religious group from campus.

Attorneys for the organization contend that a regulation at the college requiring the group to obtain a permit and stand behind a table when distributing its religious tracts violates the First Amendment.

“They have a regulation that is completely unconstitutional,” said Jay Sekulow, an attorney for Jews for Jesus.

The regulation is not intended to stifle free speech but to “maintain a certain level of order on the campus,” said James Norlund, administrative vice president at Pierce.

The request comes after a 2-week struggle between the college and the religious group. Two people were arrested Monday for trespassing as they handed out tracts to passing students--bringing to 17 the number of arrests of Jews for Jesus members at the Woodland Hills campus since the group began distributing leaflets there Nov. 15.