Court Upholds Limit On Number Of Art Vendors In City Parks

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) - New regulations that limit the number of art vendors allowed in Manhattan's busiest parks have been upheld by a Manhattan appeals court.

In its ruling on Wednesday, the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals denied First Amendment claims by street artists seeking to stop the New York City Parks Department from enforcing new rules.

The city said the parks had become too crowded. But the lawsuit argued that greenmarket and holiday commercial vendors create more congestion in the parks than the artists.

In ruling, the appeals court also rejected claims by the plaintiffs that they were entitled to depose Mayor Michael Bloomberg and a former deputy mayor.

The court said it means to create a legal precedent by saying a party must demonstrate exceptional circumstances to justify such a deposition.

You May Also Be Interested In These Stories

(TM and © Copyright 2013 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2013 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)