Trump Protesters Claim Victory in Battle with NPS, Inaugural Committee

WASHINGTON, DC — An advocacy organization defending the rights of protesters seeking to demonstrate in D.C. against President-elect Donald Trump after he is inaugurated on Jan. 20 says the National Park Service has released permits hours after being threatened with lawsuits.

The Partnership for Civil Justice Fund told the National Park Service it would file litigation if permits for the Ellipse and other locations were not released immediately, arguing that the spaces were being withheld from the normal permitting process and given to the Trump Presidential Inaugural Committee in violation of federal law, according to a Jan. 5 statement from the organization.

"Hours after being notified of imminent litigation, the NPS and the Trump PIC reversed course and the NPS issued a statement that they were now releasing the Ellipse and other public spaces for permitted protests," the statement reads. "This is a significant victory for free speech. It is shameful that the NPS stonewalled, and allowed the Trump PIC to stonewall, the ability of groups to obtain permits to exercise fundamental First Amendment rights until faced with legal action."

NPS spokesman Michael Litterst said the Presidential Inaugural Committee notified the agency Thursday afternoon it had withdrawn the application for using the Ellipse on Jan. 21, allowing it to "greatly expedite the permitting process for that area."

"The National Park Service balances these often competing needs through its regular permitting process, with additional considerations that have guided many previous inaugurations and have been upheld in federal court," Litterst said. "Permitting for the inauguration and associated events is a deliberative, time-intensive process in what is often a rapidly changing environment, and it requires considerable negotiation between the National Park Service and permit applicants."

Image via White House