Aut Bar lawsuit: Michigan liquor board won't enforce campaign sign ban

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The American Civil Liberties Union is praising Michigan regulators' decision to halt enforcement of a rule barring businesses that sell liquor from displaying signs endorsing political candidates.

The ACLU last Thursday sued the state Liquor Control Commission in federal court on behalf of a bar in Ann Arbor. The owner of the Aut Bar sought to keep its signs backing U.S. Rep. John Dingell and Washtenaw County judge candidate Carol Kuhnke.

The suit says the ban violates the right to free speech under the First Amendment.

The liquor board decided Wednesday to stop enforcing the 1954 rule and to move quickly to repeal it.

ACLU spokeswoman Maggie McGuire says the bar took down the signs after learning of the rule but now plans to put them back up.

Owners Martin Contreras and Keith Orr posted a handful of campaign signs in front of Aut Bar several weeks ago in support of candidates like Washtenaw County Commissioner Yousef Rabhi, Kuhnke and Dingell — all Democrats who support gay rights, according to a previous AnnArbor.com report.

Orr said he was out of town Wednesday but the signs should be back up now.

"We're thrilled it happened," Orr said of the outcome of the case. "It looks like they recognized from the state this was a battle they weren't going to win and wasn't worth fighting. We're happy not only on our behalf but for all bar owners. It's a victory for all speech."