A U.S. District Court judge has ruled that the Town of Bar Harbor has the right to place limits on cruise ship passengers coming ashore.
A group of Bar Harbor business owners had filed a legal challenge to the ordinance that limits daily visits to 1,000 visitors per day, claiming it violates provisions of both the Maine and U.S. constitutions.
In his decision issued Thursday, U.S. District Judge Lance Walker ruled that the town's limit on cruise ship visitors is a lawful exercise of home rule authority under the Maine Constitution, and does not violate the Due Process Clause or the Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution.
