Photo by Amber Wilkie

A D.C. judge ruled this week that the city’s requirements that tour guides be licensed and know what they’re talking about are constitutional, dismissing a lawsuit filed by a Segway tour operator who claimed that the regulations infringed upon their First Amendment rights, reports the AP:

The operators of a Washington Segway tour business have lost a lawsuit against the city over regulations that require tour guides to be knowledgeable about city history and architecture.

Bill Main and Tonia Edwards, who operate Segs in the City, sued in 2010. They said regulations that require guides like them to take a test and obtain a license violate their free speech rights. The city countered that its regulations don’t restrict what a tour guide can say on a tour.

On Thursday Judge Paul L. Friedman issued a one-page order granting the city’s request to dismiss the case. Friedman did not immediately issue an opinion explaining his reasoning.

Since 2010, D.C. has required that tour guides be licensed, part of which involves taking an exam “covering the applicant’s knowledge of buildings and points of historical and general interest in the District.” The lawsuit against the regulations was filed by the Institute for Justice, a right-leaning group in the city.

Tim Krepp, author of Capitol Hill Haunts and a local tour guide, told us in an email that he thinks that the city’s regulations are largely reasonable.

“I’m licensed in both D.C. and New York, and give tours both there, and in ‘unlicensed’ cities such as Boston and Philadelphia. I think a professional licensing program has some utility in that in provides a baseline when I contract out with companies. They know that I pay my taxes, haven’t had any complaints referred to DCRA, etc.,” he said.

“I see no First Amendment restrictions placed on me by having to take a professional test. I’m still allowed to say whatever I like (and I do!). Passing the bar isn’t a restriction on a lawyer, passing a simple test isn’t a restriction on me. That said, if DCRA wanted to update the test, I wouldn’t complain!”, he added.