Free speech lawsuit against Downers Grove Park District settled out of court

A state representative candidate who accused the Downers Grove Park District of violating her free speech rights by limiting where she could campaign in a public park has settled her lawsuit against the district.

Laura Hois announced the settlement Wednesday. Federal court records indicate the case was dismissed by agreement June 9.

In the agreement, the park district did not admit to any wrongdoing and agreed to pay Hois $32,500. Each side was responsible for paying their own costs and attorneys’ fees.

The director of the park district could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

In July 2024, Hois was a candidate for the DuPage County Board when she went to a concert at Fishel Park in downtown Downers Grove to speak with concertgoers about her campaign.

The Downers Grove Republican claimed in her lawsuit that a park district worker told her that she was not allowed to engage in political conversations unless she stayed in a designated 15-by-15-foot free speech zone.

“I was shocked that a government agency would tell a political candidate she could not speak with residents in a public park unless she stood inside a small, designated square,” Hois said in a news release. “Public parks have long been recognized as places where Americans exercise their constitutional rights. The idea that free speech can be confined to a tiny corner of a public park is contrary to the principles on which our nation was founded.”

A park district ordinance restricted political, religious, and other expressive activities to designated areas and granted officials discretion to determine when speech activities were substantial or might interrupt programming.

Hois’ lawsuit said that was unconstitutional because it regulated speech based on content. The suit said other people were allowed to speak to each other anywhere in the park. It also said the free speech zone was located in an area where few pedestrians walked by, which, in essence, excluded Hois.

The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression challenged the ordinance. The district revised its policy in June 2025.

Hois sued in November 2025.

“This case was never just about me,” Hois said in the news release. “It was about protecting the constitutional rights of every resident, regardless of their political views. No citizen should need government permission to peacefully engage in political speech in a public park.”

Hois is running for state representative in the 81st District against incumbent state Rep. Anne Stava, a Downers Grove Democrat.

The 81st District includes parts of Downers Grove, Woodridge, Lisle and Naperville.