The Tomcat Posted January 11, 2005 Posted January 11, 2005 Win one for the good guys!! Drink up baby!!! Judge rules Jacksonville public drinking law is unconstitutional 2005-01-10 19:33 JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) _ A month before thousands of fans arrive in Jacksonville for the Super Bowl, a county judge ruled the city's ban on drinking alcohol in public is unconstitutional. Duval County Judge Charles Cofer ruled Monday that police cannot enforce Jacksonville's ordinance because it is selectively enforced and gives too much authority to the mayor to make exemptions. The decision is the result of a challenge to the arrest of three homeless men charged with drinking beer in the city's Treaty Oak Park, located in an area where Super Bowl fans will be allowed to drink. The park is inside an entertainment zone adopted by the City Council in May. Beginning 18 days before the Feb. 6 Super Bowl, laws against open containers, noise pollution and outdoor alcohol sales on city property will be suspended in the zone. The judge noted that testimony that there were only five arrests for violations of the ordinance near the sports complex, while there were more than 100 arrests in other areas of Jacksonville.
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