Houston violated Food Not Bomb's constitutional rights, court rules

Houston Chronicle · R.A. Schuetz · 2026-11-05 21:44 UTC

A federal judge ruled that Houston violated Food Not Bombs’ First Amendment rights when it tried to stop the group from serving free meals near City Hall.

A federal judge ruled Tuesday that Houston violated Food Not Bombs’ First Amendment rights when it tried to stop the group from serving free meals across the street from City Hall.

The court order did not weigh in on the constitutionality of the city ordinance limiting where food can be given away. But when the city began enforcing the ordinance in 2023, virtually every ticket was directed at Food Not Bombs. The city wanted the group to move its meals from outside of Central Library, which faces City Hall, to a former police station parking lot outside of downtown.

Food Not Bombs resisted the limitation, racking up 111 tickets and seeking more than $25,000 in fines over the course of a year. The group sued the city in 2024, and federal court allowed Food Not Bombs to keep serving meals without further ticketing until a decision was reached.

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