JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – A federal judge halted the implementation of Senate Bill 2343 on Thursday, June 29.

The bill includes a provision that requires written approval from the Public Safety commissioner or Capitol police chief before any event takes place on a street or sidewalk adjacent to state property.

U.S. District Judge Henry Wingate ruled from the bench in favor of the Jackson Undivided Coalition, which claimed that provision violates the first amendment.

SB 2343 was set to go into effect on Saturday, July 1, 2023.

“This is the kind of law that chills protected first amendment speech. The state is forbidden from enforcing the prior written permission requirement, and the plaintiffs, Jackson Undivided Coalition and others, can continue to protest on sidewalks and streets next to see government buildings,” said Paloma Wu, deputy director of Impact Litigation – Mississippi Center for Justice.

House Bill 1020, which is SB 2343’s companion, is still the subject on ongoing litigation.