Judge Rejects Appeal Over Boulder Anti-Camping Law

BOULDER, Colo. (AP) - A judge in Boulder County has rejected a homeless man's challenge of a law banning camping in public places in the city of Boulder.

Michael Fitzgerald was convicted in municipal court of sleeping in a parking garage without permission last year. He appealed to Boulder County District Court on grounds that the city's law essentially punished him for being homeless and having an involuntary need for warmth and shelter as he sleeps.

The Daily Camera reports that this week Judge Lael Montgomery ruled that the city's law isn't discriminatory and applies to anyone wishing to camp in Boulder.

Other homeless people also have appealed their camping tickets. Their cases are pending.

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