A follow-up on past posts
Here’s a follow-up on a few issues we’ve been following this year. First is the recent change to Utah alcohol control policy, which I wrote about over at MormonLawyers.com. Utah’s idiosyncratic laws governing bars got an overhaul that did away with the “private club” rule. You might think that this would increase sales, but the Associated Press reported yesterday that alcohol sales at bars are down in Utah following the change. Food sales, however, are up, as more people come in casually without the membership restrictions.
Just when we had almost forgotten about the Temple Square kissing incident, the Salt Lake Tribune is reporting that the LDS Church has posted new signs around the Main Street Plaza. The new signs are explicit about who owns the property, and state that “The Church reserves the right to refuse access to any person for any reason.” My previous posts on the topic noted that City Prosecutor Sim Gill cited lack of notice as one of the reasons for declining to prosecute Derek Jones and Matt Aune for trespassing. In my opinion that was a wrong determination, at least as to Aune, who admitted protesting the termination of the public easement in 2003. However, I did think better signage would be appropriate, and apparently the LDS Church Legal Department agreed with me.
