MANCHESTER, N.H. (Reuters)

New Hampshire's highest court on Tuesday largely sided with a group of activists known as "Robin Hooders," finding that a city's efforts to crack down on their practice of feeding strangers' parking meters violated their free speech rights.

The activists have regularly fed parking meters in downtown Keene, a small city in southwestern New Hampshire, and placed cards on windshields with a picture of Robin Hood stating: “Your meter expired! However, we saved you from the king's tariff!"

The merry band has also followed and at times confronted the parking enforcement officers, all the while recording their activities.

In 2013, the city of Keene sought to impose a buffer zone preventing the activists from interacting with or recording the officers on the grounds that they were creating a hostile work environment and thereby interfering with its contract with the employees.

However, the Supreme Court of New Hampshire on Tuesday upheld a lower court ruling that the city could not justify the injunction on the basis of "tortious interference" in its contract with the officers.

Doing so, the court found, "would infringe upon the respondents' right to free speech under the First Amendment."

The activists were represented by the New Hampshire Civil Liberties Union.

"Today's decision is a victory for First Amendment rights," Gilles Bissonnette, the group's legal director, said in a statement. "The Court recognized that government actors cannot sue citizens for alleged torts in an attempt to suppress legal, but unpopular, speech in public places."

At the same time, the high court justices held that the lower court didn't sufficiently consider another of the city's claims in seeking the injunction, its interest in preserving public safety and order.

The justices remanded the case back to lower court to weigh this claim.

The activists are part of a loose confederation of radical libertarians known as Free Keene. Their fight against the city and its meter readers has gained national notoriety and has been featured on the cable network Comedy Central and other media outlets.

Seriously?

The comedy central piece was a hatched job.

You believe everything on TV or the internet?

Ummm…. the article is not fiction. How many sources do you want? Will the Associated Press work better for you?

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — The conduct of a band of self-styled “Robin Hoods” who feed about-to-expire meters while following parking enforcement officers is protected under the First Amendment, though the city of Keene has a right to pursue an injunction against them in the interests of public safety, New Hampshire’s highest court ruled Tuesday.

City officials said they have no problem with the meter-feeding — a reaction to what the group calls “the king’s tariff”— but want to protect the officers from harassment. Some said they’ve been bumped and assailed with profanities. The city argued for a buffer zone for its employees.

The Robin Hood group, which carries rolls of dimes and quarters, records its time outside and posts videos online, sometimes showing members following the parking enforcement officers. The not-so-merry band said it is protesting parking enforcement because it believes parking is not a criminal act and that parking tickets are a threat against the people. The city said some of its officers felt they were harassed, including one who didn’t feel safe and changed her work schedule to avoid them.

The state Supreme Court ruled that the Robin Hooders’ “challenged conduct” was intended to draw attention to parking enforcement operations and to persuade the officers to leave their positions. There was no allegation that it involved violent conduct.

The justices agreed with a lower-court judge, who dismissed the city’s claims of tortious interference, civil conspiracy and negligence, saying the group’s actions were protected by the First Amendment.

However, the high court said the judge was wrong to deny at the same time the city’s request for an injunction without considering all of the circumstances of the case. It vacated the denial and sent the case back to the judge to address whether the governmental interests and circumstances outlined by the city are enough for a safety zone or some other relief.

Messages seeking comment were left with the city and with James Cleaveland, a member of the Robin Hood group.

“Today’s decision is a victory for First Amendment rights,” said Gilles Bissonnette, legal director for the New Hampshire chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, which filed a brief on the case. “The court recognized that government actors cannot sue citizens for alleged torts in an attempt to suppress legal, but unpopular, speech in public places. We must all remember that the First Amendment only means something if it protects popular and unpopular speech alike.”

Seriously? The meter maids feel threatened by folks filling the parking meters or getting cussed out? They need a buffer zone? Seriously? Geeze... grow some thicker skin. (Poor picked on meter maids).

I heard TW does this just so he can run around in tights... 😟

Let's face it, this is about the city losing revenue from parking tickets. They want to make it illegal for you to fill a strangers expiring parking meter if a meter maid is present and about to write up the ticket.

I was referencing the comedy central piece only.

A similar situation occurs when drivers flash their driving lights to warn of a nearby cop using radar to catch speeders. Here in Florida, people were ticketed or arrested for doing this, but it was finally ruled to be a form of free speech!

somewhere lost in the old "flash headlights get a ticket scam" is what the real purpose of traffic laws should be...protection of life and property.

If a driver flashes lights, the benefit is in the other driver slowing down and making the road safer, certainly worth loss of potential ticket revenue and the real reason for the speed limits.

Also, re: OP...I didn't read the posts but I had seen local coverage in which merchants were complaining that feeding meters reduced turnover among shoppers and hurt their businesses. Not sure I agree with that premise.

Lovely Rita...:-"

Liberals; New Hampshire's most valuable asset......