Preaching is allowed on Bourbon Street, for now. A city ordinance bans so-called "aggressive solicitation" and restricts religious or political speech after dark.

A federal lawsuit filed last week by New Orleans pastor Paul Gros claims the ordinance is unconstitutional. He says police asked him to leave or face arrest back in May while he was preaching on Bourbon Street with his wife, another pastor and a friend.
   
A federal judge ruled in Gros' favor and issued a temporary restraining order blocking enforcement of the law.

Less than a month ago several pastors were arrested for preaching on Bourbon Street during a gay pride festival. The American Center for Law and Justice is representing one of them.

In a letter to the city, the ACLJ, "A government body may not exclude or restrict the speech of private parties for the sole reason that the speech is religious. This is a fundamental proposition of constitutional law."