Artists Sue Texas City Over Censorship Ordinance

A small business argues in federal court that law violates the First Amendment by insisting on pre-approval of public murals.

A mural created by Tilt Vision Studios in Waller, Texas, as shown in an undated photo. The company is suing the city after it passed a tough ordinance regulating the creation of murals in public. Courtesy Pacific Legal Foundation

A small family-owned art company is suing a Texas city over a sweeping ordinance that gives government officials a veto over the content of murals that can be painted on building exteriors.

The federal civil rights lawsuit challenges the local ordinance that lawyers for the plaintiffs say enshrines into law the city’s own aesthetic preferences as part of an effort to kill off an art mural business.