Police Department of Chicago v. Mosley - Legal Proceedings

Mosley argued that Chapter 193-1 (i) punished activities protected by the First Amendment and that the ordinance also denied him equal protection in violation of the First and Fourteenth Amendments. The district court was unmoved by these arguments, however, and Mosley was forced to take his case to the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals. The court of appeals reversed the district court's ruling, holding that since Chapter 193-1 (i) prohibited even peaceful protesting of many kinds it was too broad and "patently unconstitutional on its face." The Chicago Police Department then appealed the case to the Supreme Court, which heard arguments on 19 January 1972.