In a recent ruling, a federal judge in Chicago has rejected the request made by four anti-Israel protest groups seeking more space for their demonstration outside the Democratic National Convention (DNC) next week, citing First Amendment rights violations. The groups, including the Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, the Anti-War Committee, Students for a Democratic Society at UIC, and the U.S. Palestinian Community Network, had applied for parade permits that would allow them to march over an expanded area.

The proposed protest route by these organizations was closer to the United Center, one of the two locations for the DNC, and through a street that has been designated as part of the secured perimeter by Secret Service and local law enforcement planners. However, the court denied all four permits and directed the groups to use an alternative route proposed by the city of Chicago, according to court filings.

The lawsuit filed by the anti-Israel groups against the city and its transportation commissioner alleged First Amendment violations and sought a preliminary injunction, as well as permission to march closer to the United Center. However, the judge ruled against them earlier this week. The city's lawyers argued that concessions had already been granted, including allowing the organizers to get closer to one of the convention sites.

Law enforcement sources had previously mentioned that the original plan would have kept protesters out of sight and sound, with convention sites being completely cordoned off and only authorized personnel allowed access. The organizers of the protests, however, anticipate tens of thousands of people attending the event.

Meanwhile, pro-Israel organizers are planning counter demonstrations during the convention, which is set to take place from August 19th to 22nd. The city of Chicago has a rich history of hosting political conventions, with 14 Republican conventions and 11 Democratic ones held there between 1860 and 1996. Notable nominees emerging from these conventions include Abraham Lincoln, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Bill Clinton.

The 1968 Democratic Convention, which took place in Chicago, nominated Hubert Humphrey, who went on to lose to Richard Nixon, who himself was nominated in Chicago in 1960. The city has also hosted third-party conventions, such as those of the Libertarian and Green Parties.

The specter of violent clashes between anti-Vietnam War protesters and police during the 1968 Democratic Convention is now casting a shadow over this year's event, as anti-Israel groups aim to pressure the Democratic Party to withdraw its support for Israel's ongoing operation in Gaza, which was initiated in response to a deadly terror attack that claimed 1,200 lives on October 7, 2023.