Opening Day of DNC Trial in Denver GREELEY, CO (KUNC) - A year-long legal battle between activist groups and the city of Denver and the U.S. Secret Service entered into its first day of trial proceedings on Tuesday at the federal district courthouse in Denver, Colorado.

A lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union and other protest groups alleges that the city's security plans for the Democratic National Convention violate protestors' freedom of speech rights.

"Ever since the group Recreate 68 and other activist groups first said that they planned to convene tens of thousands of anti-war protestors to the city for the convention, a series of disputes between these activists and the city of Denver followed, over permits and protests and parade routes," reported KUNC's Kirk Siegler from the courthouse. Cameras and recorders were not allowed in the courtroom.

"There have been comparisons to what occurred in New York City at the Republican National Convention in 2004, whereby protestors were reportly relegated to so-called 'protest pens.' That's what the ACLU in this case and groups like Recreate 68 want to avoid, and that's why they want to be within clear sight and sound of the Pepsi Center during the convention," Siegler said.

Current provisions allow protestors to be 700 feet from the main entrance to the Pepsi Center. Protestors must leave the site by 3 p.m.. Delegates will begin arriving at the convention center around 4 p.m..

The dispute over the protestors' rights have caused significant friction in Denver.

"There is some concern that given some of the tensions here of late, that these protests could erupt in violence," Siegler said.

An expedited ruling is expected in the three-day trial in order to allow the losing party to appeal before the convention begins on August 25. © Copyright 2009, KUNC