On Wednesday, September 18, Mauck & Baker hosted a press conference in Millennium Park to announce its lawsuit against the City of Chicago on behalf of four Wheaton College students (and inevitably all Americans) who want the freedom to exercise their First Amendment rights in a traditional public forum.
The cameramen and reporters from Fox, ABC, Chicago Tribune, WORLD radio, and WBBM weren’t the only ones in attendance, however. Many members of our law firm also came to show support and join in prayer—which was exactly how John Mauck opened before announcing the details of the lawsuit.
[above] Attorney John Mauck was ironically approached by a park guard asking if he had a permit even though Park officials had removed such a requirement from the Park rules a few weeks prior.
After appearing on the front page of the Chicago Tribune, the case quickly went from local to national news. It was discussed on radio talk shows, ranted about in op-eds, and shared across social media:
Our goal is to protect free speech for everyone, although many don’t understand what that means. Critics of this lawsuit responded by saying the students should “just go preach elsewhere” and “follow the rules.” Yet, a public park like Millennium is the quintessential place for free speech. Aren’t Chicago’s park officials breaking the rules of the Constitution by ignoring that?
Please pray for our attorneys and our plaintiffs throughout the next few months, that we may help change Millennium Park’s restrictive rules and also change hearts for Jesus in the process.