standing up for your rights

Attorney Carrie McNamara of the American Civil Liberties Union chapter in Florida called Brown’s settlement deal “a hard-won vindication” that sends a message to the state’s officials that they cannot punish speech they dislike.

“The first amendment does not disappear when someone accepts a government job,” McNamara said, alluding to the part of the US constitution which grants the right to free speech.

Brown’s former supervisor at the agency, habitat and species conservation director Melissa Tucker, had claimed that Brown’s post generated hundreds of formal complaints and caused significant disruption. Discovery in the case later revealed that the agency only received about 50 complaints.

US district judge Mark Walker imposed sanctions against Tucker recently for exaggerating the amount and then not correcting the record.

McIlreath said she was paying close attention to what changes the council proposes and was undeterred by what happened to her and her colleagues. She said: “Until Fema capabilities are restored and disaster survivors are served I’m going to continue speaking out.”

A federal judge ruled a Brown County man and Chicago woman are likely to succeed in their First Amendment lawsuit alleging the federal government pressured Apple and Facebook to remove platforms tracking U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity.

The lawsuit, filed in the Northern District of Illinois, alleges former Attorney General Pam Bondi and former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem censored platform creators by threatening Apple and Facebook to remove applications that document or “doxx” ICE operations.