The judge should be lauded for helping to reign in excessive noise. From teenagers' mobile sub-woofer boom boxes to other deafening or disturbing sounds there is a right to silence, but there is not a right to invade another's silence. A better regulation would be to limit such sound production to 10 decibels above ambient. We have neighbors who sometimes played music at 105 decibels(measured at our doorstep)...by our Texas rural law the limit is 85...but even that is deafening and disturbs us. If you want loudness, get some headphones or an IPod. I have a right to peace and quiet.

1) Have you people looked at the main page of this news site, or any news site for that matter? With all the drugs, crime, murder etc. going on, someone is going to complain about church bells? COME ON! Really??? Choose your battles people - fight for something that's worthwhile like defending homeless children, abused women, supporting cancer/alzheimer/MS patients etc, (or even this Priest who is being unjustly prosecuted) not church bells. How petty! 2) A person who moves near a church is bound to hear church bells -DUH! If you didn't want to live near a church, you shouldn't have moved near one. 3) Time to start a petition to help this priest and his church!!! (and to have the judge in this case bounced!)

The judges name is Lori A Metcalf.

I would like to know who the Judge was so that we can vote not to retain....

Sounds to me like a bunch of bitter Atheist.

What is the religious background of the people who complained? Could this be what motivates them, religious bigotry (hate crime)? Is there a mosque in Phoenix that broadcasts the "call to prayer"? Try complaining about that and see what happens.

I do too, Cacti P., of all things to get worked up over, church bells sure isn't one of them. I just heard it was 4 neighbors who complained. I can see where the rings might be too frequent. Once to three times per day would not be excessive, imo, but this judge was out of line. The pastor wasn't even breaking 70 decimals. Do these neighbors enjoy hearing sirens 3 times a day, loud traffic going up and down their street, lawn mowers and leaf blowers? Those are much noisier. Probation and a jail sentence- ridiculous! I'm glad he's appealing.

I find this decision sad and pathetic.

I wonder how everyone would feel if it were a mosque. Don't they have a call to prayer five times a day? ... don't care either either way - it's all noise to me.

This is ridiculous! The person that complained needs their bell rung!