Opinion ID: 441810
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: the case is justiciable.

Text: 7 The district court ruled that the NAACP lacked standing to challenge the parade ordinance, and that the case was moot. On appeal, the question whether summary judgment was properly granted is one of law. Boone v. Mechanical Specialities Co., 609 F.2d 956, 958 (9th Cir.1979). The standard governing this court's review is the same as that employed by the trial court under Fed.R.Civ.P. 56(c). Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corp. v. MCA, Inc., 715 F.2d 1327, 1328 (9th Cir.1983). We view the evidence and inferences therefrom in the light most favorable to the losing party. Angel v. Seattle-First National Bank, 653 F.2d 1293, 1299 (9th Cir.1981).
8 The NAACP challenged the advance notice provision and the discretionary waiver provision of the parade ordinance and asserted that the ordinance is invalid on its face. The district court held that the NAACP lacked standing on all three questions. These issues will be addressed seriatim, together with the Article III and prudential considerations employed in determinations of standing. 9 Article III of the Constitution limits the exercise of federal judicial power to actual cases and controversies. See, e.g., Flast v. Cohen, 392 U.S. 83, 94-101, 88 S.Ct. 1942, 1949-1953, 20 L.Ed.2d 947 (1968). Litigants are required to demonstrate a personal stake in the outcome of a case to guarantee the concrete adverseness which sharpens the presentation of issues necessary for proper resolution of constitutional questions. Baker v. Carr, 369 U.S. 186, 204, 82 S.Ct. 691, 703, 7 L.Ed.2d 663 (1962). To comply with Article III, the plaintiff must show: (1) a distinct and palpable injury, (2) a causal connection between the injury and the defendant's conduct, and (3) a substantial likelihood that the relief requested will redress the injury. See Valley Forge Christian College v. Americans United for Separation of Church and State, 454 U.S. 464, 472, 102 S.Ct. 752, 758, 70 L.Ed.2d 700 (1982) (Valley Forge ).
10 The NAACP is an organization whose members have long engaged in demonstrations and other protests against perceived racial discrimination. See, e.g., NAACP v. Claiborne Hardware Co., 458 U.S. 886, 911-12, 102 S.Ct. 3409, 3425-26, 73 L.Ed.2d 1215 (1982). These protests frequently occur in response to topical events, and their effectiveness may depend on both their immediacy and the forum where they take place. Here Richmond denied the NAACP's request to conduct a street parade protesting the death of a black man in government custody because the application violated RMC Sec. 11.84.020. The NAACP arguably suffered actual injury as a result. See Secretary of State of Maryland v. J.H. Munson Co., --- U.S. ----, 104 S.Ct. 2839, 2846, 81 L.Ed.2d 786 (1984) (Munson ). It has standing, therefore, to contest the advance notice requirement.
11 The challenge to Richmond's discretionary waiver provision, by contrast, is solely anticipatory. The City Council did not exercise its discretion to refuse to waive the notice requirement, but simply failed to convene. Under the Declaratory Judgment Act, 28 U.S.C. Sec. 2201, federal courts may declare the rights and duties of litigants before a law is violated. See 10A Wright, Miller & Cooper, Federal Practice and Procedure Sec. 2757 at 582-83 (Wright & Miller). For his anticipatory claim to satisfy the case or controversy requirement, however, the plaintiff is required to show that he is seriously interested in subjecting himself to, and the defendant seriously intent on enforcing, the challenged measure. See, e.g., J.N.S., Inc. v. Indiana, 712 F.2d 303, 305 (7th Cir.1983); Stoianoff v. Montana, 695 F.2d 1214, 1223 (9th Cir.1983); Internat'l Soc. for Krishna Consciousness v. Eaves, 601 F.2d 809, 817 (5th Cir.1979). 3 12 The NAACP has displayed the requisite interest in subjecting itself to the discretion vested by the ordinance. It has already attempted to bring one application before the Council, and was spared the exercise of the Council's discretion only by the unexpected absence of a few Council members. See Reeves v. McConn, 631 F.2d 377, 381 (5th Cir.1980). Similarly, the Council has displayed an intent to use its discretion. It has never indicated that it considers the waiver provision moribund. See, e.g., Doe v. Bolton, 410 U.S. 179, 188-89, 93 S.Ct. 739, 745-46, 35 L.Ed.2d 201 (1973). In fact, the district court found that this case would not recur precisely because the Council's policy is to hear such requests. 4 The NAACP's fear that the Council will exercise uncircumscribed discretion, therefore, is far from hypothetical or abstract. See Babbitt v. United Farm Workers, 442 U.S. 289, 297-98, 99 S.Ct. 2301, 2308-09, 60 L.Ed.2d 895 (1979); Steffel v. Thompson, 415 U.S. 452, 458-59, 94 S.Ct. 1209, 1215-16, 39 L.Ed.2d 505 (1974). This being so, the NAACP has standing to challenge the discretionary waiver provision. 13 In addition to the restrictions on standing imposed by Article III, federal courts also limit for prudential reasons the claims which litigants may bring. In Valley Forge, supra, the Supreme Court identified three prudential considerations: (1) the plaintiff must ordinarily assert his own interests, and cannot base his claim on the rights of third parties, (2) his asserted harm must not be merely a generalized grievance shared in similar measure by all or a large class of citizens, and (3) his interest must arguably be within the zone of interests regulated by the statute. See 454 U.S. at 474-75, 102 S.Ct. at 759-60; Scott v. Rosenberg, 702 F.2d 1263, 1267-68 (9th Cir.1983), cert. denied, --- U.S. ----, 104 S.Ct. 1439, 79 L.Ed.2d 760 (1984). 14 We find all of these concerns satisfied here. First, the NAACP asserts its own interest in conducting spontaneous parades. It does not base its claim solely on the putative free speech rights of a third party. Second, it is self-evident that the NAACP's particular desire to hold public demonstrations against allegedly racist policies is not shared in similar measure by the community at large. Third, the ordinance by its terms regulates parade permits. The NAACP's application of October 18 evinced an interest which falls within this statutory zone. In short, neither Article III requirements nor prudential factors undercut the NAACP's standing to bring this lawsuit.
15 The NAACP also argues that the Richmond ordinance is invalid on its face. The district court held that the NAACP lacks standing to bring a facial attack because the ordinance's alleged overbreadth is not substantial. We disagree with the manner in which the district court framed this issue. 16 Some facial challenges require courts to ignore the prudential rule that a litigant has standing to vindicate only his own constitutional rights. City Council v. Taxpayers for Vincent, --- U.S. ----, 104 S.Ct. 2118, 2125, 80 L.Ed.2d 772 (1984) (Vincent ). A litigant is allowed, for example, to assert that enforcing a statute will chill the protected speech of third parties, even though as applied to him the law is constitutional. Id. In such cases, the court entertains the claim because it recognizes that those whose expression is chilled cannot be expected to adjudicate their rights, since by definition they are unwilling to disobey the law. See L. Tribe, American Constitutional Law 720 (1978) (L. Tribe). The concern that constitutional adjudication be avoided whenever possible is simply outweighed by the risk to society of losing the speech of those deterred from engaging in protected expression. Munson, 104 S.Ct. at 2847. 17 There is another quite different way in which a plaintiff may challenge a statute on its face. Vincent, 104 S.Ct. at 2124. A litigant may contend, for example, that a statute is not only unconstitutional as applied to his conduct, but also unconstitutional on its face because any attempt to enforce such legislation would create an unacceptable risk of the suppression of ideas. Id. at 2125. In cases of this type, a holding of facial invalidity expresses the conclusion that the statute restricts protected activity in every conceivable application. Munson, 104 S.Ct. at 2852 n. 13. Because the plaintiff asserts his own injury as the basis for judicial relief, however, the court can entertain his claim without departing from traditional standing concerns. Vincent, 104 S.Ct. at 2125. 18 The NAACP raises the second type of facial challenge here. It argues both that its own activity is protected by the first amendment and that the Richmond ordinance impermissibly suppresses the speech of all potential marchers. The district court's holding that the NAACP lacks standing to bring such a challenge thus mischaracterized the issue. We have already established that the NAACP has met the threshold standing inquiry. That being so, its claim that the ordinance is facially invalid is essentially an argument about the nature of the remedy we should provide. See Munson, 104 S.Ct. at 2848. The Supreme Court has cautioned us that striking down a statute on its face for alleged overbreadth is manifestly strong medicine. Broadrick v. Oklahoma, 413 U.S. 601, 613, 93 S.Ct. 2908, 2916, 37 L.Ed.2d 830 (1973). To justify such action, we must first decide that the asserted overbreadth is both real and substantial. Id. at 615, 93 S.Ct. at 2917. This determination, however, is properly reserved for the merits. Munson, 104 S.Ct. at 2848. Having concluded that standing exists, we discuss alleged overbreadth later. See section III infra.
19 The case or controversy requirement of Article III also deprives federal courts of jurisdiction to hear moot cases. See, e.g., DeFunis v. Odegaard, 416 U.S. 312, 316, 94 S.Ct. 1704, 1705, 40 L.Ed.2d 164 (1974). A case becomes moot when interim relief or events have eradicated the effects of the defendant's act or omission, and there is no reasonable expectation that the alleged violation will recur. See, e.g., County of Los Angeles v. Davis, 440 U.S. 625, 631, 99 S.Ct. 1379, 1383, 59 L.Ed.2d 642 (1979); Lodge 1380, Broth. of Ry. etc. v. Dennis, 625 F.2d 819, 822 (9th Cir.1980). For his lawsuit to meet minimum standards of continuing life, a litigant must have suffered some actual injury that can be redressed by a favorable judicial decision. See Iron Arrow Honor Society v. Heckler, --- U.S. ----, 104 S.Ct. 373, 374-75, 78 L.Ed.2d 58 (1983); 13 Wright & Miller Sec. 3533 at 263. 5 20 The Supreme Court has stated, however, that a case is not moot if the underlying dispute between the parties is capable of repetition, yet evading review. Nebraska Press Assn. v. Stuart, 427 U.S. 539, 546, 96 S.Ct. 2791, 2797, 49 L.Ed.2d 683 (1976), quoting Southern Pacific Terminal Co. v. I.C.C., 219 U.S. 498, 515, 31 S.Ct. 279, 283, 55 L.Ed. 310 (1911). Two elements are necessary for a dispute to satisfy this standard: (1) the duration of the challenged action or injury must be too short to be fully litigated; and (2) there must be a reasonable likelihood that the same party will be subject to the action again. See Weinstein v. Bradford, 423 U.S. 147, 149, 96 S.Ct. 347, 348, 46 L.Ed.2d 350 (1975); Planned Parenthood v. Arizona, 718 F.2d 938, 949 (9th Cir.1983). 21 Both of these elements are present here. The NAACP cannot fully litigate the validity of the Richmond ordinance during the time it wishes to exercise free expression. The alleged injury is fleeting because the capacity of a topical parade to communicate may be diminished the longer it is delayed. Where injunctive relief is requested and denied, the injury endures only until topical speech is no longer topical. Plenary review of the difficult constitutional questions raised is simply not possible within so brief a period. See, e.g., First National Bank of Boston v. Bellotti, 435 U.S. 765, 774, 98 S.Ct. 1407, 1414, 55 L.Ed.2d 707 (1978) (18-month election period too brief); Roe v. Wade, 410 U.S. 113, 125, 93 S.Ct. 705, 712, 35 L.Ed.2d 147 (1973) (human gestation period too short). We have reached a decision in this case, for example, almost two years after the NAACP filed suit, and any future action would in all likelihood take as long. Where the challenged statute imposes a prior restraint on speech, and the expressiveness of that speech depends on its spontaneity, we believe the case is likely to be one which would evade review. 22 Nor is there any serious doubt that plaintiff can reasonably expect to be subject to the ordinance again. Drumgoole's death, for example, marked the fifth time a black man had been killed in a conflict with Richmond police within the previous three years. The NAACP has an active and continuing interest in the local racial problems which allegedly give rise to such incidents. See Baldwin v. Redwood City, 540 F.2d 1360, 1365 (9th Cir.1976), cert. denied, 431 U.S. 913, 97 S.Ct. 2173, 53 L.Ed.2d 223 (1977). Furthermore, there is no reason to believe that Richmond will refrain from enforcing the parade ordinance in the future. See First National Bank of Boston, 435 U.S. at 775, 98 S.Ct. at 1415. 6 The effect of the statute on arguably protected speech will therefore persist. See Storer v. Brown, 415 U.S. 724, 737 n. 8, 94 S.Ct. 1274, 1282 n. 8, 39 L.Ed.2d 714 (1974). 7 Accordingly, we conclude that this case is justiciable and proceed to the merits. 23