A New Jersey woman who lives with her mother can leave up a trove of profane signs to express her hostility toward Joe Biden, according to New Jersey Superior Court.
“I feel amazing,” Ms. Dick, 54, said after the Superior Court of New Jersey dismissed the case, which was brought against her mother, Patricia Dilascio, who owns the home where the banners have hung since the Memorial Day weekend.
Ms. Dick enlisted the American Civil Liberties Union to help fight an order from the City of Roselle Park to pay a fine of $250 for each day the offensive signs were displayed. Roselle Park officials cited complaints from neighbors with concerns of children passing by to a nearby school.
A borough judge ruled against Ms. Dick. “Freedom of speech is not simply an absolute right,” said the judge, while noting that “the case is not a case about politics. It is a case, pure and simple, about language. This ordinance does not restrict political speech.”
Ms. Dick challenged the ruling on behalf of her mother, and when the ACLU got involved, the city backed down and dismissed the charges.
Mayor Joseph Signorello, a Democrat, said the attention to Ms. Dick and the cost to the city was causing more harm than good.
“You cannot legislate decency,” he added, “and I think that’s a sad reality.”
Ms. Dick says the signs are not going anywhere.
“What’s up there is staying until I’m told differently,” she said.