Federal Judge Rules Against Anti-Abortion Protestors, Allows Lawless City Officials to Arrest Pro-Life Christians

City officials engage in 'lawless, renegade conduct'
ALLENTOWN, PA -- In the continuing battle involving Allentown abortion protesters, a federal judge has rejected the protesters' request to hold the city in contempt of court. Eight frequent protesters at the Allentown Women's Center wanted top city officials fined $1,000 a day and possibly imprisoned for allegedly violating a judge's order governing their picketing. The protesters claim city police have restricted their protests, violating their constitutional rights. The protesters have claimed police have been harassing and intimidating them by arresting them, even though they haven't broke the law. They said that city officials had engaged in ''lawless, renegade conduct.'' But U.S. District Judge James Knoll Gardner of Allentown dismissed the contempt of court motion Wednesday because it's similar to another pending motion the protesters made to get police to ease up on them. In that motion, the protesters want an injunction declaring that police violated the 2004 court order governing their picketing. Posted by Editor at September 26, 2005 09:28 AM