Tennessee officials will pay $835,000 to settle a lawsuit filed by a man jailed for more than a month over a Facebook post about the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Larry Bushart, a 61-year-old retired police officer, was arrested in September after refusing to remove Facebook memes that joked about Kirk’s killing. Authorities dropped a felony charge in October after Bushart spent 37 days in jail. During that time, he lost a postretirement job and missed family events, including a wedding anniversary and the birth of his granddaughter. Bushart said the settlement vindicated his First Amendment rights and emphasized the importance of civil discourse. The meme included a quote attributed to Donald Trump after a 2024 school shooting in Iowa.
"Tennessee officials will pay $835,000 to settle a lawsuit filed by a man who was jailed for more than a month over a Facebook post he made about the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. While many people across the U.S. lost their jobs over social media comments about Kirk's death, Larry Bushart's case stood out as a rare instance in which such online speech led to criminal prosecution. The 61-year-old retired police officer spent 37 days behind bars before authorities dropped the felony charge against him in October."
"During his time in jail, Bushart lost his postretirement job and missed his wedding anniversary and the birth of his granddaughter, according to a federal lawsuit Bushart filed in December against Perry County, its sheriff and the investigator who obtained the arrest warrant. "I am pleased my First Amendment rights have been vindicated," Bushart said in a statement announcing the settlement Wednesday. "The people's freedom to participate in civil discourse is crucial to a healthy democracy. I am looking forward to moving on and spending time with my family.""
"Bushart was arrested in September after he refused to take down Facebook memes that joked about Kirk's killing, which had prompted an outpouring of grief among conservatives, including in Perry County, which is near Bushart's home and which held a candlelight vigil. The meme Bushart posted that prompted his arrest read: "This seems relevant today..." and featured President Donald Trump and the words, "We have to get over it." That quote, the meme explained, was said by Trump in 2024 after a school shooting at Iowa's Perry High School."
"Perry County Sheriff Nick Weems told news outlets that most of Bushart's "hate memes" were lawful free speech."
#first-amendment #facebook-speech #criminal-prosecution #civil-rights-settlement #social-media-memes
Read at Boston.com
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