A 25-foot buffer zone around Indiana police officers was ruled unconstitutional by a federal appeals court Tuesday.
In its ruling, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit called the buffer zone "unconstitutionally vague," the Indianapolis Star reports. Indiana's buffer zone law was established in April 2023, making it a Class C misdemeanor to come within 25 feet of an on-duty officer after being asked to stop.
The law has been on hold since September 2024, however, because of legal challenges.
"(Police could) subject any pedestrian to potential criminal liability by simply ordering them not to approach, even if the pedestrian is doing nothing more than taking a morning stroll or merely walking up to an officer to ask for directions," Judge Doris Pryor wrote in the decision.
The ruling only applies to the parties in the lawsuit, but follow-up proceedings will decide if the law is unconstitutional for all state residents. Attorney Grayson Clary of the Reporters' Committee told the Star that because the established that the law is unconstitutional, it would be difficult for the state to continue to enforce it.
"The decision should throw cold water on enthusiasm for these new police bubble laws across the country," he said.
