D.C. Metro Gets Mixed Ruling in Free Speech Test of Ad Rules

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority can’t enforce one of its advertising rules against a religious group seeking to place on buses and in stations ads concerning its mission to promote the “Godly foundation of our country,” a federal court said.

Guideline 9 of WMATA’s rules on advertising prohibits messages “intended to influence members of the public regarding an issue on which there are varying opinions.” Though the rule is content neutral, it has been inconsistently applied, Judge Beryl A. Howell said Tuesday for the US District Court for the District of Columbia.

But WMATA can enforce Guideline 12 against ...