A bill in the Alabama Senate would criminalize protesting outside of homes was approved in a Senate committee Thursday.
Senate Bill 199 sponsor Sen. Arthur Orr, R-Decatur, said he became aware of the need for the law after watching news coverage of protests outside of U.S. Supreme Court Justices’ homes in 2022.
The bill says “no person shall picket or protest at or near a residence occupied or used by any individual with the intent to harass, intimidate, or disturb that individual or other individuals who reside at that residence.”
Violation of the proposed law would be a Class C misdemeanor. Prior to making an arrest, law enforcement must instruct the protester to leave.
“A lot of cities don’t have ordinances to address this,” Orr said, calling his proposed law a “backstop.”
He said the law would apply not only to the homes of elected or government officials, but private citizens.
“In today’s world with social media, I think we’ll regrettably see more of this type of behavior,” Orr said about demonstrations outside homes. The bill now moves to the full Senate.
Orr discussed and drafted a similar bill last year, but did not introduce it.