Enormous rats are making their way through the federal court system. But they're not wet-nosed, living rodents. They're rubber, inflatable ones. Unions deploy such rat replicas outside businesses they have disputes with.
Chicago's 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals addressed this month whether restricting their use violates free-speech rights.
A lower court sided with Grand Chute, Wisconsin, ruling safety and construction ordinances justified the town's removal of a 15-foot rat outside a car dealership. Chicago's higher court nixed that finding and returned the case for further litigation.
Appeals court Judge Richard Posner partially dissented. He says the town violated the union's free-speech rights. He wrote some may find the blow-up rats "repulsive" but they're "akin to a political poster," so constitute protected speech.
