WATCHTOWER BIBLE v. SAGARDÍA DE JESÚS

No. 09-2273.

634 F.3d 3 (2011)

WATCHTOWER BIBLE AND TRACT SOCIETY OF NEW YORK, INC.; Congregación Cristiana de Los Testigos de Jehová de Puerto Rico, Inc., Plaintiffs, Appellants, v. Antonio M. SAGARDÍA DE JESÚS, in his official capacity as Secretary of Justice; Luis G. Fortuño, in his official capacity as Governor; Héctor Morales Vargas, in his official capacity as Commissioner of the Planning Board of Puerto Rico; Humberto Marrero Recio, in his official capacity as Administrator of Regulations and Permits; Municipality of Bayamón; Municipality of Caguas; Municipality of Dorado; Municipality of Gurabo; Municipality of Guaynabo; Municipality of Ponce; Municipality of San Juan; Municipality of Trujillo Alto; Pacifica Homeowners Association, Inc., d/b/a Pacifica; Villa Pas, d/b/a/ Villa Paz, a/k/a Asociación de Residentes de Villa Paz, Defendants, Appellees. Municipality of Santa Isabel; Municipality of Vega Baja; Municipality of Yauco; Ciudad Interamericana de Bayamón, Inc., a/k/a Residentes Urbanización Ciudad Interamericana de Bayamón, Inc.; Ciudad Interamericana, Inc., d/b/a Ciudad Interamericana, a/k/a Asociación de Residentes Ciudad; El Monte de Ponce, P.R., Inc., d/b/a El Monte, a/k/a Asociación de Residentes de la Urbanización El Monte de Ponce, P.R., Inc.; Estancias de Gran Vista Homeowners Association, Inc., d/b/a Estancias de Gran Vista; Estancias de Tortuguero, Inc., d/b/a Estancias de Tortuguero, a/k/a Asociación Residentes Estancias de Tortuguero, Inc.; Estancias de Yauco, Inc., d/b/a Estancias de Yauco, a/k/a Asociación de Residentes Urbanización Estancias de Yauco, Inc.; Estancias del Turabo, Inc., d/b/a Estancias del Turabo, a/k/a Asociación de Residentes del Turabo, Inc.; G.H.S. Inc., Garden Hills Sur; Bairoa Golden Gate # 2, Inc., d/b/a Golden Gage II, a/k/a Asociación de Residentes de Bairoa Golden Gate # 2; Hacienda Borinquen, Inc., d/b/a Hacienda Borinquen, a/k/a Asociación de Residentes Hacienda Concordia, Inc.; Hacienda Concordia, Inc., d/b/a Hacienda Concordia; Los Prados de Dorado, Inc., d/b/a Los Prados Sur, a/k/a Asociación de Propietarios de la Urbanización Los Prados de Dorado, Inc.; Mansión Del Sur, Inc., d/b/a Mansión del sur, a/k/a Asociación de Propietarios de Mansión del Sur, Inc.; Panorama Homeowners Association, Inc., d/b/a Panorama State; Parque Forestal, Inc., d/b/a Parque Forestal, a/k/a Asociación de Propietarios de Parque Forestal, Inc.; Paseo Mayor Homeowners Association, Inc., d/b/a Paseo Mayor; Prado Alto en Torrimar, Inc., d/b/a Prado Alto, a/k/a Asociación de Propietarios de Prado Alto en Torrimar, Inc.; Santa Clara, Inc., d/b/a Santa Clara, a/k/a Consejo de Residentes de Santa Clara, Inc.; Undare, Inc., d/b/a Santa Maria; Valles del Lago, Inc., d/b/a Valles del Lago, a/k/a Asociación Comunidad Valles del Lago, Inc.; Vereda del Río, Inc., d/b/a Vereda del Río; Del Turabo, Inc., d/b/a Estancias del Turabo, a/k/a Asociación Comunitaria del Turabo, Inc., Defendants.

United States Court of Appeals, First Circuit.

Decided February 7, 2011.


Attorney(s) appearing for the Case

Paul D. Polidoro , with whom Gregory Allen , Associate General Counsel, Legal Department, was on brief for appellants.

Daniel M. Gossett , Mayer Brown LLP, Daniel Mach , ACLU Foundation, Program on Freedom of Religion and Belief, William Ramirez , American Civil Liberties Union, Puerto Rico National Chapter, John Reinstein , ACLU of Massachusetts, Zachary L. Heiden , Maine Civil Liberties Union Foundation, and John W. Dineen , Rhode Island Affiliate, ACLU, on brief for the American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Puerto Rico National Chapter, the Maine Civil Liberties Union, the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts, the New Hampshire Civil Liberties Union, and the Rhode Island Affiliate, American Civil Liberties Union, on brief, Amici Curiae.

Susan I. Peñagaricano-Brown , Assistant Solicitor General, Department of Justice, with whom Irene S. Soroeta-Kodesh , Solicitor General, Leticia Casalduc-Rabell , Acting Deputy Solicitor General, and Zaira Z. Girón-Anadón , Acting Deputy Solicitor General, were on brief for appellees Luis G. Fortuño, in his official capacity as Governor, Antonio Sagardía De Jesús, in his official capacity as Secretary of Justice, Héctor Morales Vargas, in his official capacity as Commissioner of the Planning Board of Puerto Rico, and Humberto Marrero Recio, in his official capacity as Administrator of Regulations and Permits.

Michael C. McCall with whom Eliezer Aldarondo-Ortiz , Claudio Aliff-Ortiz , Simone Cataldi Malpica and Aldarondo & López Bras were on brief for Municipalities.

Luis E. Pabón-Roca , Clarisa Sola Gomez and Faccio & Pabón Roca on brief for the Municipality of Caguas.

Pedro R. Vázquez on brief for appellee Municipality of Gurabo.

Víctor R. Rodríguez , Jean G. Vidal Font and Cancio, Nadal, Rivera & Diaz, P.S.C., on brief, for appellee, Municipality of Ponce.

Robert Milan and Alejandro Carrasco-Castillo , on brief, for appellee, Municipality of Trujillo Alto.

Carlos R. Rodriguez-Garcia and Rodriguez-Garcia, PSC, on brief, for appellee, Pacifica Homeowner's Association, Inc.

Before BOUDIN, RIPPLE and SELYA, Circuit Judges.


BOUDIN, Circuit Judge.

To abate crime, Puerto Rico adopted a Controlled Access Law, P.R. Laws Ann. tit. 23, §§ 64-64h (2008), allowing local entities (called "urbanizations"), organized by the community but approved by the municipality, to control street access to areas within towns that have voted in favor of such plans. Appellants are two corporations operated by the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses1 that challenged in...

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