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Appeals Court: Just Because Speech Provokes Negative Reactions Doesn’t Mean It’s Not Protected

abovethelaw.com
submitted
a year ago
byjoeschtopolitics
Summary

The plaintiff is Matthew Meinecke, a self-described “street preacher” who lives in Seattle. MeineCke showed up at a pro-choice protest of the Supreme Court’s 2022 decision. He held up a sign, read from the Bible, and handed out Christian literature.

Meinecke is suing the city, its PD, and the officers involved in his arrests. He is not challenging the constitutionality of the law itself, but the way it was enforced against him in particular. The city argued that’s not what actually happened.

Back it goes to the lower court with an order to grant Meinecke’s request for an injunction. The evidence is even clearer as to the officers’ restrictions during PrideFest. The district court recognized that the officers “ordered him to leave the park” altogether.

Interesting look at what led to a pretty thorough and insightful defense for First Amendment rights
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3 Comments

4
boredgamer
a year ago
I figure this is why generally cops don't get involved until a crime actually happens right? So they need to let him get assaulted to arrest people. I guess the judges recognized that they were only telling him to leave and not the protesters.
2
joeschOP
a year ago
Pretty much what they were trying to argue they did. Glad the judges saw through it with how they didn't make the protesters do anything
3
joseph
a year ago
I get they were just trying to de-escalate, but man, at some point let him reap the consequences of his opinions and situation