Chief U. S. District Judge Stephanie M. Rose found that the department's rejection of the event permit applications in 2024, 2025, and 2026 violated the satanic group's First Amendment rights. The judge ruled that while the department can impose the same conditions on the event as it does on other indoor events, it cannot exclude the event based on its content.
The Krampus celebration is based on European folklore, which features a horned demonic figure who punishes naughty children during the holiday season. The Satanic Temple, with support from the ACLU of Iowa, filed a lawsuit in August arguing that the state's blocking of the event was unconstitutional viewpoint discrimination against their religious expression and free speech.
The judge's ruling marks a significant development in the dispute over the event.