DETROIT, Michigan — John Goci, a Northville resident and write-in candidate for Congress in Michigan's 13th District, sued the City of Detroit on Thursday, October 22, 2026, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, saying the city's sign rules forced him to pull down about 40 small campaign signs or risk fines that could have topped $115,000, according to the federal complaint, reviewed by The Digital Free Press. The case, Goci v. City of Detroit, No. 2:26-cv-14043, is assigned to U.S. District Judge Denise Page Hood and was filed 12 days before the November 3 election. "Political speech lies at the very heart of the First Amendment," the complaint begins.

Source: The Digital Free Press (federal complaint, Goci v. City of Detroit)

According to the complaint, Goci put up roughly 40 yard signs in July in front of businesses along 8 Mile Road and Gratiot Avenue, with the owners' permission. Each sign measured about 18 by 22 inches and carried his write-in candidacy message. A few days later, the complaint says, the city emailed Goci that the signs violated Chapter 4 of the Detroit City Code. The email attached a city flyer titled "Campaign & Advertising Yard Signs," which states that campaign signs "are not allowed on commercial property without a permit" and are allowed "only during the period 30 days prior and seven days after the date of any federal, state, or local primary election." The flyer lists fines of $600 for a first offense, $1,200 for a second and $3,000 for each one after that. Goci took the signs down "fearing repercussions and fines," the complaint says.

Source: The Digital Free Press (complaint and City of Detroit flyer)

The complaint also describes the permit path the city pointed him to: Goci would first need to hire a licensed sign erector, because only an erector with access to the city's application portal can submit the paperwork. One erector quoted him $300 to prepare the application for a single sign, according to the filing. The application has more than 40 fields and calls for a site plan for each location, and the city also charges a permit fee whose amount neither the ordinance nor the guidance lists, the complaint says. The city's own Blight to Beauty Corridors page carries the campaign yard-sign guidance cited in the complaint.

Source: Federal complaint via CourtListener (Goci v. City of Detroit, No. 2:26-cv-14043)

The lawsuit argues that the permit process and the 30-day window violate the First Amendment. It asks the court for a temporary restraining order and preliminary and permanent injunctions against the permit requirement, and a permanent injunction against the 30-day limit. Goci says he plans to run again and wants to post signs for himself and other candidates in future elections, The Digital Free Press reported. He is represented by the Civil Rights Litigation Initiative at the University of Michigan Law School. The allegations have not been tested in court, and the city had not yet filed a response; The Digital Free Press said it sought comment from the City of Detroit on October 23 and received no response by publication.

Source: The Digital Free Press (relief sought and city response status)