A city in Arizona repealed a law that forbids residents from giving evidence in public on Tuesday, weeks after a family was detained for speaking at a town council gathering next month.
As a result of a unanimous vote, the Surprise City Council lifted a law prohibiting occupants from criticizing city officials at public meetings, according to a regional NBC online. According to the outlet,” ]m ] embers of the council did not speak further about the]new ] rule during Tuesday’s meeting” and it remains “unclear when]it ] will go into effect”.
Before he had representative Rebekah Massie violently removed, Mayor Hall cited the classic rule at the City Council’s Aug. 20 conference. The Arizona mother used the open platform to condemn the city lawyer but was stopped mid-testimony by Hall, who , accused , her of “attacking the city attorney individually” and violating , rules , governing public sessions.
Massie objected and claimed that the rule harmed her First Amendment rights to free speech, but Hall was still detained by the police officer in charge of the appointment. According to a report from The Arizona Republic, she was detained and later charged with a number of infractions.
Following the arrest, Massie filed a lawsuit against Hall, the town of Surprise, and the above authorities agent earlier this month. The complaint argued that the rule violates her First Amendment rights to free speech, and it was represented by attorneys with the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression ( FIRE ).
” When Massie exercised her constitutional right to criticize officials at a City Council meeting, a right ‘ high in the hierarchy of First Amendment values,’ … the Council Criticism Policy and Mayor Hall ensured she left the meeting in handcuffs”, the lawsuit reads, claiming such conduct is” an affront to]the ] Constitution”.
Hearth Attorney Conor Fitzpatrick said that the “damage has already been done” despite the Surprise City Council’s determination to “scrap its illegal law banning criticism of public authorities.
” Twenty-eight days earlier, officers dragged a local mother out of the appointment for criticizing a city attorney’s spend. Twenty-eight days earlier, Mayor Skip Hall abused his authority to suppress dissent. This choice comes 28 weeks too late for Esther Massie”, Fitzpatrick said.
The Federalist received a statement from FIRE Media Relations Specialist Jack Whitten that Massie’s complaint is still ongoing.
Shawn Fleetwood is a University of Mary Washington student and a staff writer for The Federalist. He previously served as a condition content writer for Agreement of States Action and his work has been featured in various stores, including RealClearPolitics, RealClear Health, and Conservative Review. Following him on Twitter @ShawnFleetwood
