US judge suspends Oregon ban on homebuyer ‘love letters’

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A federal judge has issued a preliminary injunction that suspends Oregon’s ban on personal notes nicknamed love letters from prospective homebuyers to home sellers. The judge last week said the ban violates the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution by restricting free speech too broadly. The  Oregonian/OregonLive reports the conservative Pacific Legal Foundation filed a lawsuit after the Oregon Legislature in 2021 tried to limit housing discrimination by barring buyers from sending letters to sellers to try to sweeten offers on houses for sale. The Oregon Real Estate Agency says it will not enforce the law unless another court order allows it to go into effect.