Loogootee, Indiana re-enacted an enjoined ordinance to block PrideFest from its Public Square, defying a federal injunction

On December 30, 2025, the Loogootee, Indiana City Council passed Ordinance No. 2025-14, amending the city's special-events rules to bar events from within 240 feet of the Public Square fountain — the site where the city's annual PrideFest has been held since 2023 — while still permitting other special events in that area. At least two of the ordinance's location and permitting provisions were substantially identical to language a federal court had already permanently enjoined four months earlier.

In August 2025, U.S. District Judge Richard L. Young ruled that a prior Loogootee special-events ordinance violated the First Amendment by restricting PrideFest's access to the Public Square while other public gatherings were allowed to use it, and permanently enjoined the city from enforcing the offending provisions. That injunction let PrideFest proceed as planned the following month. The December ordinance was the latest rewrite of the city's special-events rules in a dispute that began when the city first moved to relocate or block the festival in 2024.

On January 6, 2026, the ACLU of Indiana filed a new federal lawsuit on behalf of festival organizer Patoka Valley AIDS Community Action Group seeking to have the new ordinance declared unconstitutional and enjoined, along with a motion asking the court to hold Loogootee in contempt for violating its prior order. ACLU of Indiana Legal Director Ken Falk said the city, "by enacting an ordinance that contains provisions enjoined by the Court, is in contempt of its lawful orders." The mayor's office did not respond to a request for comment.

Updates

2026-03-10 — Federal court held Loogootee in contempt for defying the injunction [6, 7]

The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana held Loogootee in contempt for failing to comply with the prior injunction, ordering the city to repeal or replace the ordinance within 15 days or pay a $500-per-day fine, and to cover the ACLU's attorney fees and costs from the contempt proceeding.

2026-09-01 — Federal court struck down the ordinance and ordered PrideFest to proceed [8, 9]

The court ruled that Loogootee's special-events ordinances violated the First Amendment by giving city officials unbridled discretion over event permitting, permanently blocked their enforcement, and ordered the city to permit PrideFest 2026 to proceed on September 5 at the Public Square with the requested street closures.