A Christian man cited for violating a city noise ordinance while preaching at the Fort Worth Stockyards has been acquitted.
Duante Newton was found not guilty following a jury trial Thursday in a Fort Worth municipal court.
Newton’s defenders called the verdict a “significant Constitutional victory.”
“I just want to give all praise to Jesus,” Newton told reporters outside the court. “The reason why I’m here is bigger than me; it’s bigger than all of us.”
He added, “I just wanted to go out there and give the message of Jesus so they don’t sin against God anymore.”
Newton was issued a citation last September by Fort Worth police for disturbing the peace and unnecessary noise while he was preaching and giving testimony on a sidewalk at the Fort Worth Stockyards.
The 19-year-old was completing his final day of a weeklong evangelical training with the organization Christ for All Nations.
Newton maintained that his microphone was within city ordinance guidelines limiting sound to 70 decibels.
Citizens Defending Freedom, a national nonprofit that organizes locally to support liberty, represented Newton in court.
A public sidewalk is considered “a traditional public forum with the highest level of First Amendment protections,” according to Melinda Preston, executive director of CDF-Denton County.
“Mr. Newton was expressing his free speech and religious liberty,” Preston told Texas Scorecard.
Unfortunately, an employee and “marketing director” of the Fort Worth Stockyards claimed he “owns the sidewalk” and informed the group of young Christians that their activity belongs in a church.
The employee then called the police and a citation was issued for unnecessary noise.
“If the Stockyards believe Christians only belong in a church, my money does not belong in the Fort Worth Stockyards,” she added.
“This favorable outcome represents a noteworthy triumph for individual liberties in North Texas,” CDF Executive Director Rosalie Marie Escobedo announced following the verdict. “This case serves as a testament to the enduring importance of Constitutional rights and the power of community support in upholding these fundamental freedoms.”
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