Interior Department officials have reversed course on a plan to revise First Amendment and Special Use Permit guidelines for the National Mall and other park sites in Washington, DC/Library of Congress

Interior Department officials, buried by more than 140,000 comments on a plan to revise First Amendment and Special Use Permit regulations for the National Mall, President's Park, and other national park sites in Washington, D.C., have abandoned the plan.

The announcement was applauded both by First Amendment advocates and some members of Congress.

National Park Service staff said the intent was to better handle the volume and complexity of permit requests and maintain the public’s opportunity to hold special events and right to demonstrate while outlining clear parameters that protect the iconic landmarks, views, and grounds for use and enjoyment of citizens and visitors from around the globe.

"After reviewing public comments on the proposed revisions, the NPS has determined that the regulations, which are found in Title 36 of the Code of Federal Regulations, section 7.96, will remain unchanged, and demonstrations and special events will continue to be managed according to the existing regulations," a Park Service release said.

Among those applauding the decision was PEN America, a group that champions free speech.

“We are thrilled to see the right to protest in our nation’s capital preserved with today’s decision by the National Park Service. The fact that 140,000 people took time to provide formal comments to the Park Service clearly had an impact,” said PEN America’s Washington director Thomas O. Melia. “We are grateful to the many PEN Members and supporters who joined us in calling out this attempt to sidestep the constitutional right to free assembly. The robust public response to this misguided effort proves exactly why protest rights must be defended. Mobilization matters, and in this case, common sense – and the First Amendment – prevailed.”

From the 1963 March on Washington to the Women’s March in 2017, Washington, D.C. has been home to the most dramatic and important public protests in the nation’s history, PEN America pointed out. "The proposed changes would have affected all the iconic locations where protests typically occur: the National Mall, Lafayette Park, the White House sidewalk, Lincoln Memorial, the Ellipse, Freedom Plaza, as well as the sidewalks and parkland along Pennsylvania Avenue, including the sidewalk in front of the Trump Hotel."