State loses AGAIN in fight over citizens’ free speech rights
This time it involves a legislative observer who wore a shirt that state officials hated
The state of Colorado, far left, even extreme, based on its Democrat majority in the legislature and Democrat in the governor’s office, has been on a tear in recent years to control what people say.
And it’s been losing.
The latest case involves a man who wore a shirt while observing the state legislature. But the shirt had a message that state officials hated, so they threw him out.
Now those officials have had to backtrack, and say they were wrong, and to allow the man’s shirt.
Earlier, the state attacked a bakery owner for refusing to adopt the state’s religious ideology and promote same-sex marriage. Colorado lost at the Supreme Court which scolded the Colorado officials for their “hostility” to Christianity.
Then the state tried to force a web designer to promote that same religious ideology in her online business. Again, the state lost at the Supreme Court.
The latest loss involves Jeff Hunt, who was kicked out of the public gallery for the state senate for wearing a pro-life sweatshirt.
Officials with the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression explained they demanded in a letter to the state that officials “stop playing fashion police.”
And because of the possibility of yet another First Amendment lawsuit, “the Colorado House and Senate agreed to rescind the Capitol galleries’ unconstitutional ban on pins and apparel ‘expressing political statements.'”
“I am thrilled at this outcome,” said Hunt. “Now, Coloradans are free to share their voices, particularly at the state Capitol, where the work of the people takes place.”
Hunt had worn a sweatshirt saying “Pro-Life U” to the capitol building last spring when lawmakers were working on their latest attack on crisis pregnancy centers.
“But sergeants-at-arms told Hunt that “Pro-Life U” is a ‘political statement’ prohibited by a gallery rule,” FIRE reported.
Part of the problem for the state employees, however, was that just weeks before, “sergeants-at-arms allowed a group of students to sit in the gallery wearing pro-gun control shirts. In light of this double standard, FIRE’s letter reminded Colorado officials that the First Amendment prohibits them from relying on unreasonable rules that allow for discriminatory or inconsistent enforcement.”
FIRE lawyer Josh Bleisch explained, “Jeff should have been allowed to express his opinions in a non-disruptive manner, but the rule was overbroad and gave officials too much leeway to arbitrarily enforce the ban. Now that the ban is no more, Coloradans can wear a political shirt where politics happens.”
WND reported when the fight developed as Hunt, a radio host and former employee of Colorado Christian University, which also calls itself “Pro-Life U,” went to watch lawmakers.
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Originally Published at Daily Wire, World Net Daily, or The Blaze
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