The New York Times reports that an Arizona appeals court heard arguments Tuesday about whether Phoenix was within its rights to remove bus shelter ads that proclaimed “Guns Save Lives,” which the city said constituted political speech. The ads, paid for by Alan Korwin, the owner of a business offering gun-safety lessons, contained text in smaller type praising the State Legislature for allowing people to carry concealed weapons without a permit.
The case has fostered an unlikely alliance between groups more often found at opposite sides of the political spectrum: the Goldwater Institute, a libertarian research organization, and the American Civil Liberties Union. In 2010, city officials decided that the text of the gun ad, inscribed in bold letters within a large heart, sounded like political speech and ordered them removed from 50 city-owned bus shelters. Korwin filed a lawsuit claiming that his right to free speech had been violated. A lower court ruled against Korwin last year, and the Goldwater Institute appealed on his behalf.