Photographers and free speech advocates sued this week to halt the National Park Service’s permit and fee schedules for commercial photographers within national parks.
The lawsuit, which was filed in the U.S. District Court in Wyoming against Interior Department and NPS officials, was brought by the free speech group Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) on behalf of two photographers who were denied permits to film in Grand Teton National Park in September. The National Press Photographers Association (NPPA) also signed on as a plaintiff.
The suit argues that the NPS policies violate the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution protecting free speech rights.
NPS allows anyone wishing to photograph or film for recreational or news purposes to do so freely within the parks. But for those wishing to photograph for commercial purposes, there are permitting and fee requirements in place that can cost photographers hundreds of dollars, depending on the size of the group they are filming.
