Appeals court sides with Stamford in billboard dispute
By The Associated Press
06.30.02
STAMFORD, Conn. — The Constitution does not give advertisers the right to erect giant billboards along an interstate highway, a federal appeals court ruled on June 26.
The court upheld a decision zoning decision by the city of Stamford, which denied a permit request from Granite State Outdoor Advertising to erect two 10-story towers with 48-by-14-foot billboards.
Granite State sued claiming the city's regulations violated the First Amendment and other constitutional guarantees.
U.S. District Court Judge Alan Nevas last year ruled in favor of the city, and the state Department of Transportation, which entered the case as a defendant.
The Second Circuit Court of Appeals upheld Nevas' decision, Attorney General Richard Blumenthal said.
"The federal appeals court rightly ruled that there is no constitutional right to billboards that impose traffic hazards and visual blight on local communities," Blumenthal said.