Kanye Trump

bars can kick out Trump supporters, says NYC judge

Bars are free to kick out Trump supporters, MAGA hat wearers and the like, says a NYC judge. Last year, MAGA hat-wearing Greg Piatek sued West Willage bar The Happiest Hour after they refused to serve him, and yesterday (4/25), Manhattan Justice David Cohen said there was nothing “outrageous” about the bar’s decision and tossed the case. Via NY Post:

A Manhattan judge ruled Wednesday that there’s nothing “outrageous” about throwing the president’s supporters out of bars — because the law doesn’t protect against political discrimination.

Philadelphia accountant Greg Piatek, 31, was bounced from a West Village watering hole in January 2017, just after Trump took the oath of office, for wearing a “Make America Great Again” cap, according to his lawsuit over the incident.

“Anyone who supports Trump — or believes in what you believe — is not welcome here! And you need to leave right now because we won’t serve you!” Piatek claims the staff of The Happiest Hour on West 10th Street told him after he and his pals complained about the rude service they were getting from a bartender.

So he sued in Manhattan Supreme Court, claiming the incident “offended his sense of being American.”

But on Wednesday, when the bar’s lawyer, Elizabeth Conway, pointed out that only religious, and not political, beliefs are protected under state and city discrimination laws, saying, “supporting Trump is not a religion” — Piatek pivoted.

Cohen made his decision “after nearly an hour of argument” about whether or not being a Trump supporter counts as a religion. Read more here.