US appeals court: City can’t enforce ban on collection bins

A federal appeals court has upheld a judge’s ruling that bars a central Michigan city from enforcing a bans on charity collection bins.

The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati on Monday upheld a Grand Rapids federal judge’s 2014 decision to issue a temporary restraining order against the city of St. Johns.

The group Planet Aid sued the city, saying that the ban on collection bins for used clothing and other items violated its First Amendment right to free speech.

St. Johns is 20 miles north of Lansing. It passed the ban last year. Planet Aid had two bins in St. Johns that were removed as nuisances.

Planet Aid is based in Elkridge, Maryland, and helps people in developing countries.  (AP)