A federal judge has temporarily stopped the enforcement of a new Arizona law that would have banned most people from the up-close video recording of police actions.
The judge issued a preliminary injunction Friday saying a full hearing about the law would likely find it unconstitutional. The decision comes in response to a lawsuit filed last month by the ACLU of Arizona and media outlets including ABC15.
"It means that the law will not be able to take effect as scheduled on September 24, and it means that Arizonans will remain free to exercise the First Amendment right to record police throughout the state," said ACLU attorney K.M. Bell.
The three defendants named in the case did not try to stop the injunction. If another police agency, prosecutor, or the leaders of the Arizona House or Senate want to argue in favor of keeping restrictions on video-recording police, they must file a motion to intervene with the court by next Friday.
At a later date, the judge will determine whether to lift the preliminary injunction or order a permanent injunction to prevent the enforcement of the police videotaping restrictions.
