Where a panhandling ordinance bans only immediate requests for money in a specific downtown district, the ordinance is content-neutral and does not violate First Amendment. The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed a decision by U.S. District Judge Richard Henry Mills, Central District of Illinois. Illinois’ capital, Springfield, has an ordinance that prohibits panhandling in its “downtown historic district.” The district contains Springfield’s principal shopping, entertainment and …