A retired teacher who lives in the Pennsylvania Borough of Nazareth is suing the borough over an ordinance that prevents residents from putting For Sale signs on cars parked on the street.
Will Cramer lived in Nazareth for over 40 years. In December 2023, he decided to retire from a 20-year teaching career and teach English in the Philippines for a year.
To prepare for his trip, he put a for-sale sign on his 1987 Chevrolet truck, which he naturally parked in front of his house.
The borough gave Cramer a ticket because of the sign, which he considered a violation of his free speech rights.
“Like, is this for real? Am I getting a ticket for putting a for-sale sign on my truck?” he said, describing his reaction at the time to Fox Digital.
Mr. Cramer said he removed the sign and parked the truck on his lawn until it was sold to someone who saw the sign before he removed it. He paid the ticket, but the borough said the payment was late and wanted additional fees.
At this point, Mr. Cramer got angry. He challenged the ticket in court, but the judge found him guilty.
He had to pay $123.75 plus court costs, which he did. He chose not to appeal the ruling to the Northampton County court, but his research revealed that he might have a case against the borough.
First, the borough solicitor could not give a good reason for the ordinance or explain how the borough was harmed by people posting for sale signs on their vehicles while parked at their own residences.
Mr. Cramer did not know the ordinance existed or that he was violating it by posting a for-sale sign in his truck on his own street. He said he had done the same thing a few years earlier, and nothing had happened.
Second, Mr. Cramer argued that the wording of the ordinance didn’t fit his actions. The ordinance prohibits parking the car with a sign “for the purpose of selling” it.
Cramer didn’t park where he did to sell the car, he parked it there because he lives there. The judge disagreed, however.
He is now in the Philippines, but said the suit was prompted because he wants to sell another car he owns when he returns in January.
We put you in office as judges and state representatives to protect our rights,” he told Fox News Digital. “And when we see things like giving people tickets for putting a for-sale sign in their car–violating our First Amendment right–it’s sad.”
“It’s preposterous that this is banned,” Mr. Cramer’s attorney, Bobbi Taylor, told the local newspaper, The Morning Call. “If you look at it, they’re banning free speech.”
Forbes magazine agreed, arguing, “Nazareth doesn’t ban signs in car windows. If you have a sign that says, “Go Eagles!” you won’t get a ticket. Nazareth also doesn’t ban commercial speech on vehicles. If you are a plumber and you have your car painted with your business name and phone number, you are in the clear.”
“The town just bans one specific message: ‘For Sale,’” it continued. “That runs directly counter to the idea that the government cannot discriminate against some messages while allowing others.”
A similar ordinance in Cincinnati was struck down in 2007 by a federal appeals court. The Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal.
The Cincinnati case could be a precedent for overturning the Nazareth law, but the two states are in different judicial circuits. In order for the precedent to be acknowledged, the Supreme Court would have to hear the case.
NTD reached out to the Borough of Nazareth for comment but did not receive a response by press time.
