NEW HAVEN, CT (WFSB/AP) -
Occupy New Haven was being cleared by city officials, but was stopped abruptly because of some more legal questions the protestors brought to a federal judge in New York.
Attorney Norman Pattis, a lawyer for Occupy New Haven, said the judge granted the protestors a temporary stay.
On Monday, Connecticut Federal Judge Mark Kravitz ruled the city has a right to remove the protesters from the Green and asked officials to give the activists until noon Tuesday to get out.
Some protesters on Tuesday were packing, while others wanted to have one more stand. Police moved in just as the noon deadline approached and city crews started ripping stuff down, then a call came in ordering them to stop.
Occupy New Haven cites free speech rights and challenges the city's authority to evict the activists, because the Green is privately owned.
But Kravitz said the city has long maintained the public space and regulated its use. He said the activists need only to get a permit.
The federal judge in New York plans to hear the arguments sometime next week. The judge did say the stay would be about a week.
Copyright 2012 WFSB (Meredith Corporation). All rights reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
