Metro agreed to pay $35,000 in legal fees after a federal judge ordered that the transit agency could not refuse posting the anti-Muslim advertisements purchased in recent months by the New York-based blogger Pamela Geller.
In an email obtained by Legal Times, a member of Metro’s general counsel office confirmed the payment to attorneys representing Geller’s organization, American Freedom Defense Initiative. Metro had attempted to block Geller from mounting the billboards and banners, but a federal judge ruled in early October that the advertising campaign—which equates Muslims with savages—was protected speech, even if it did verge on hate speech.
Since that ruling, Geller’s advertisements have been posted at several Metro stations, the most recent round of which appeared on November 5. Despite Metro’s reluctance sell advertising space to American Freedom Defense Initiative, there is little the transit agency can do in the wake of the court ruling. However, that latest set of banners also served as the debut of a new disclaimer that will accompany all political advertising on Metro going forward.
The disclaimer reads: “This is a paid advertisement sponsored by the American Freedom Defense Initiative. Advertising space is a designated public forum and does not imply WMATA’s endorsement of any views expressed.”
Geller criticized the disclaimers in an interview with DCist earlier this month, calling the label a “flagrant act of political favoritism.” She did not reply to DCist’s request to comment for this post.
