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- Oct 17, 2011
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Retired cop jailed for 37 days over Charlie Kirk meme sues, saying his First Amendment rights were violated
Prosecutors eventually dropped the criminal charge brought against Larry Bushart, but his stint behind bars came to exemplify the country’s tense political and legal climate following the tragedy, when conservatives sought to stymie public discourse about the late controversial figure that it saw as objectionable.Now, Bushart is suing over his incarceration.
“It is clearly established that the First Amendment prohibits government officials from arresting people for protected political speech,” lawyers for Bushart wrote in the complaint. He’s being represented by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression.
Bushart was held behind bars for 37 days because he was unable to pay the $2 million bond imposed on him. In late October, a district attorney in Tennessee moved to drop the single charge brought against him, and he was subsequently released.
“I spent over three decades in law enforcement, and have the utmost respect for the law,” Bushart said in a statement Wednesday. “But I also know my rights, and I was arrested for nothing more than refusing to be bullied into censorship.”
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