The commander of a military base has broad jurisdiction over the facility, including public roads and a special protest zone located on it, the Supreme Court decided Wednesday.

The justices unanimously ruled against Dennis Apel, a longtime critic of U.S. military policy who for 17 years has protested around Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.

The court’s reading of federal law “reaches all property within the defined boundaries of a military place that is under the command of a military officer,” said Chief Justice John Roberts.

The power to secure portions of the base more tightly than others does “not change when