A North Carolina civil rights leader can now go inside the Legislative Building, two years after he was banned.
WRAL-TV in Raleigh reports that The Rev. William Barber, who organized "Moral Monday" protests and led the state NAACP, had been ordered by a magistrate in 2017 to stay out of the Legislature, after he was charged with second-degree trespassing during a sit-in over health care.
His lawyers said he had a First Amendment right to speak with lawmakers in the people's house. Prosecutors warned that his ban should remain in place during a teachers' rally planned for May 1.
Superior Court Judge Paul Ridgeway ruled Monday that the state couldn't continue to keep him out.
Barber tweeted afterward, saying "We won & God prevailed."
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State is on record saying that one reason they didn’t want me to come back was concern that I might attend May 1 teacher event & cause more people to attend. This is profiling & it was overruled today.
— Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II (@RevDrBarber) April 15, 2019
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