The group that wants to run an anti-Muslim ad on city buses filed a letter in Manhattan federal court on Thursday charging that their ad is a public service and the MTA’s new policy violates its constitutional rights.
Judge John Koeltl ruled earlier this month that the MTA had to run an ad by The American Freedom Defense Initiative that read “Killing Jews is Worship that draws us close to Allah,” as well as “That’s His Jihad. What’s yours?”
On Wednesday, the MTA banned all political, religious, and opinion ads from the transit system following a fierce debate among officials over the First Amendment.
It still allows public service announcements, as well as commercial and governmental ads.
The MTA had filed a letter in court last Friday that said their proposed ad policy had rendered the AFDI’s claims “moot.”
The AFDI fired back in a letter on Thursday that “its public service advertisement is an educational message,” and that the MTA’s claims were “legally deficient, if not frivolous.”
It then urged the judge to require the MTA to show the controversial ad immediately.
It’s new policy prohibits any ads that advocate a political, religious, moral, or social message.
It also bans any ads that encourage unsafe behavior in the transit system.
The MTA said Thursday it was reviewing the letter.