A federal court has ruled that a Tennessee woman cannot be fined for saying what we’re all thinking, even if it’s in the form of a yard sign.
Last week, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee ruled that the city of Lakeland, Tennessee, violated the First Amendment rights of resident Julie Pereira when it fined her for putting up a “Fuck Em” sign. [sic] She has both “2024” signs in her yard.
According to her First Amendment Litigation Pereira’s sign, submitted last month, “concisely and persuasively” stated his opinion that neither major party candidate was an acceptable choice for president. Lakeland city code enforcement officials disputed it and fined him $50 a day for violating the city’s “obscene” sign ban.
The city only stopped issuing fines after Pereira’s report. you She taped the sign back on, and by that point, she had paid a total of $688 in fines and other fees because of the sign.
But Pereira didn’t want to pay the fee or dilute the “power” of his message, so he filed a lawsuit against the city of Lakeland, alleging that his First Amendment rights had been violated.
“Because this lawsuit has constitutional ramifications, I have taken it to the next level to protect not only my rights but the rights of all Tennessee citizens,” she said. I have written On facebook, Per of New York PostThis is a report.
3 pages short VerdictThe federal district court ruled in Pereira’s favor, enjoining the city from further enforcement action against his sign and ordering him to reimburse the city for the fine he paid, plus $31,000 in attorney’s fees and $1 in nominal damages for violating his constitutional rights.
Few local governments are willing to crack down on political speech, no matter how vulgar, expressed on social media or in newspapers, but yard signs are a different story.
The government has been much more proactive in regulating property owners who are looking to add expressive elements to their property, whether that be colorful political signs or fun murals on the side of local businesses.
Pereira’s victory is a reminder that sign language is still a language, and freedom only works if there is the space to use it.
