United States First Circuit

A Massachusetts law which creates a floating six-foot buffer zone around pedestrians and motor vehicles as they approach an abortion clinic, Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 266, 120E1/2,does not violate the First Amendment rights of protesters.

Appellate Information

• Decided 08/13/2001
• Published 08/13/2001

Judges

• SELYA, Circuit Judge., Before SELYA, Circuit Judge, COFFIN, Senior Circuit Judge, and LYNCH, Circuit Judge.

Court

• United States First Circuit

Counsel

• For Appellant:
  
• Patricia Correa, Assistant Attorney General, with whom Thomas F. Reilly, Attorney General of Massachusetts, Adam Simms and Elizabeth Frumkin, Assistant Attorneys General, were on brief, for appellants., Jennifer C. Jaff, Killian, Donohue & Shipman, LLC, and Lucinda M. Finley on consolidated brief for Conn. Women's Education and Legal Fund, National Abortion Federation, NOW Legal Defense and Education Fund, Feminist Majority Foundation, Voters for Choice, American Jewish Congress, Conn. NARAL, Conn. Chapter of NOW, National Center for the Pro-Choice Majority, and Women's Law Project, amici curiae., Carter G. Phillips, Paul E. Kalb, Jennifer M. Rubin, and Sidley & Austin on brief for American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Mass. Medical Society, and American Medical Ass'n, amici curiae., Cynthia Stone Creem and Sean J. Kealy on brief for Senator Cynthia Stone Creem, Co-Chair, Joint Comm. on Criminal Justice (Mass.Senate), amicus curiae., Richard Blumenthal, Attorney General of Connecticut, Eliot D. Prescott and Jane R. Rosenberg, Assistant Attorneys General, on brief for States of Connecticut, Colorado, Maryland, Nevada, and New York, amici curiae., Paul E. Nemser, U. Gwyn Williams, Ketanji Brown Jackson, and Goodwin Procter LLP on brief for Women's Bar Ass'n of Mass., Abortion Access Project of Mass., AIDS Project of Worcester, Alternative Medical Care of Mass., American Ass'n of Univ. Women-Mass., Big Sister Ass'n of Greater Boston, Boston Women'sHealth Book Collective, Everywoman's Center, Four Women, Inc., League of Women Voters of Mass., Mass. NARAL, Mass. Chapter of NOW, Mass. Public Health Ass'n, National Council of Jewish Women-Mass., Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, Tapestry Health Systems, Union of American Hebrew Congregations-Northeast Council, Womancare/Repro Associates, and YWCA of Cambridge, amici curiae., Maryclare Flynn on brief for Mass. Citizens for Life, Inc., amicus curiae., Vincent P. McCarthy, American Center for Law and Justice Northeast, Inc., on brief for Family Research Council and Focus on the Family, amici curiae.


• For Appellees:
  
• Mark L. Rienzi, with whom Thomas M. Harvey and Dwight G. Duncan were on brief, for appellees.