ACLU wins an appeal for GOP chairman
AKRON (AP) -- The American Civil Liberties Union went to bat for one of Summit County's largest Republican fund-raisers, winning an appeal for the man who had been fined for having a 32-square-foot Bush/Cheney sign in his yard.
The organization took up the First Amendment case for Summit County Republican Party Chairman Alex Arshinkoff and his wife, Karen, after a Cuyahoga Falls Municipal Court judge upheld a Hudson ordinance that restricts political signs to 8 square feet.
The 9th District Court of Appeals in Akron found the ordinance unconstitutional.
The Arshinkoffs were fined $2,900 for posting a sign outside the size restrictions.
Alex Arshinkoff said he is grateful to the ACLU -- frequently attacked by conservative groups -- for participating in the case.
Hudson City Solicitor Charles Riehl said the city will decide soon whether to appeal the decision.