Jehovah’s Witnesses in Lawrence are welcoming a recent Supreme Court ruling that the Constitution guarantees religious groups, politicians, Girl Scouts and others the right to knock on their neighbors’ doors without stopping at town hall for permission.

By a June 17 vote of 8-1  a move seen as a broad endorsement of free speech rights  the high court struck down an Ohio village’s law that required anyone going door to door to register with authorities and carry a permit.

“I’m very pleased with the ruling. I think all the Jehovah’s Witnesses in this country are happy with it. As a matter of fact, we talked about it a little bit when we saw it in the newspaper. We happened to be having a (church) meeting that night, and there was a bit of discussion,” said Alan Finney, the presiding overseer and an elder for River Heights Congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses, 1802 E. 19th St.

“This ruling is not just for us. It has to do with equal rights and clarity (of the law). It really benefits everyone.”

The court decision is of keen interest to Jehovah’s Witnesses, who consider it an expression of neighborly love to share information from the Bible with others.

For more than 60 years, the Supreme Court has upheld the constitutionality of their door-to-door ministry as an exercise of freedom of speech.

The legal suit was brought by the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of New York, a legal organization used by Jehovah’s Witnesses.

Craig Cochran, an elder for Southern Hills Congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses, 1802 E. 19th St., expressed support for the Supreme Court decision.

“We appreciate the freedom of speech that we have, and we are certainly happy the Supreme Court made the ruling that it did. We try to be very responsible in not making people feel threatened by our presence in a neighborhood. The law that was passed in that particular (Ohio) community went much farther than that,” he said.

The two congregations of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Lawrence share the same building  called a kingdom hall  for worship and meetings. Their activities are scheduled at different times.

Cochran explained the value that his faith places on the door-to-door ministry.

“That’s the example that Jesus Christ set for us. He didn’t just erect a church and expect people to come to him. He went out to the people, took a personal interest in them, and taught them the truths that they needed to know,” he said.