Bakery’s Donut Mural Is Saved!
Town officials in Conway, New Hampshire, tried to force a local bakery to paint over a mural made by local school students.
In June, students from Kennett High School painted a colorful mural above the front door of Leavitt’s Country Bakery on White Mountain Highway. The mural features a New England mountain landscape made entirely of baked goods, such as donuts, scones and muffins. Leavitt’s owner Sean Young said at the time, he thought the mural “would be a fun project for kids and good for the community.”
But no good deed goes unpunished. Two months later, town officials decided that they would treat the students’ mural as a “sign” subject to strict size and location restrictions. Why? Simply because the mural’s mountainscape depicts baked goods like those sold at the bakery. Thus, officials believe the sign should be treated as an advertisement.
But Conway’s treatment of Leavitt’s mural as a “sign” is discriminatory and contrary to the First Amendment. The Institute for Justice helped the bakery fight back.
In May 2025, a federal district court ruled that the town’s enforcement of its sign code against Leavitt’s was “unconstitutional.” Now the mural will continue to greet hungry customers for years to come.
How Your Donation Helps
- Your contribution enables us to represent our clients at no cost to them—and to stand with them no matter how long their cases take. And when we win for our clients, we secure precedent that protects the rights of all Americans.
- IJ receives no money from the government. Our work is powered by nearly 10,000 supporters across the country who believe in the Constitution and the ideals it enshrines. 70% of our funding comes from individuals like you.
- There is no better investment for defending liberty than IJ. We have litigated more than 300 cases on behalf of more than 1,000 people and turned once obscure issues like civil forfeiture and eminent domain abuse into subjects of national outrage. And IJ is a good steward of donor money, having received Charity Navigator’s top rating 20 years in a row.
IJ has litigated 12 U.S. Supreme Court cases since 2002, including 10 victories.
IJ has a nearly 75% success rate through litigation and legislation.
IJ litigates nationwide, with more than 90 active cases in 32 states.