(AgapePress) - A federal judge has ruled in favor of a Florida man who claimed his constitutional rights were violated after he was arrested for peacefully holding a sign on a public sidewalk.

On two separate occasions, Orlando Bethel was arrested for holding a sign proclaiming the gospel on the streets of Pensacola. Bethel sued the city with the help of Liberty Counsel, a law firm that assists Christians whose civil rights have been violated.

Mat Staver

Liberty Counsel president Mat Staver says even though Bethel was not prosecuted for violating the vaguely worded ordinance, his treatment and the unjust statute still needed to be addressed.

"Fortunately the state prosecutor did not pursue the case and dropped the charges," Staver says. "But the fact is, you don't need the harassment of the arrest and being booked in jail and treated like a criminal when you have a constitutional right to engage in free speech."

According to Staver, the city's ordinance is too vague. "Whenever you regulate any kind of speech activity, it needs to be exact and precise," he says, "and you can't have these vague terms which allow the enforcement officials to simply select who they want to enforce [the law] against."

The legal expert adds that, even though the Florida city's ordinance applies to any kind of public demonstration, the statute has only been applied to Orlando Bethel and his wife Glynis, and was selectively used to keep them from appearing on a public sidewalk holding a Christian message.

Staver says the court rightfully found the city's action to be a violation of Bethel's constitutional rights. The Liberty Counsel spokesman says claims for damages are still pending.

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