Ryan Tack-Hooper, an attorney with the Council on American-Islamic Relations Pennsylvania, said though he thinks the ads are false and hateful, SEPTA can't argue with the Constitution. "SEPTA's in a tough spot because people want to see them fight this, but at the same time, we don't want to have SEPTA damaging the First Amendment," Tack-Hooper said. "This is not about SEPTA giving in. I think they've already gone above the call of duty by fighting this in the district court."

"These ads are despicable and false, but fall under First Amendment protections," Jacob Bender, executive director of the Philadelphia chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), said Thursday. "We have no problem with the judge's ruling, but have a great amount of antipathy for AFDI pushing a clearly hate-inspired, anti-Muslim message on the citizens of our fair city. One can only imagine the revulsion that tens of thousands of Muslim citizens will feel getting onto SEPTA buses and trolleys" bearing the ad.

Jacob Bender on WPHT (The Dom Giordano Program), February 12, 2015