Magic Mike Berger's win before the U.S. Court of Appeals frees up the kinds of action people may take in public spaces. Last week, the second-highest court in the land upheld lower court findings that Seattle Center's rules governing street performers was too restrictive.
The center's policies -- charging performers for a permit, restricting them to a limited number of spots, barring them from playing near so-called "captive audiences" and preventing them from asking for donations -- amounted to free-speech restrictions in a venue traditionally allotted to civic gatherings, ruled the court.
Berger, who is living temporarily in San Jose, Costa Rica, says he plans to sue the Woodland Park Zoo, the Seattle Aquarium and Pike Place Market to dismantle similar restrictions.