A divided federal appeals court ruled Thursday that Clearwater's buffer zone outside an abortion clinic violates the First Amendment, siding with abortion opponents who said the ordinance stifled their ability to distribute leaflets.

A panel of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, in a 2-1 decision, ordered a district judge to issue a preliminary injunction to block the ordinance, which was approved in 2023 for an area outside Bread and Roses Woman's Health Center.

Court rules 5-foot buffer zone unconstitutional

The ordinance barred pedestrians in a driveway entrance to the clinic and on five feet of sidewalk on each side of the driveway. Thursday's 28-page majority opinion said that it prevented abortion opponents from giving leaflets to people entering the clinic in violation o

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