Larry Bushart won an $835,000 settlement after a civil rights lawsuit over his 37-day imprisonment by a small-town Tennessee sheriff. Bushart had been jailed for posting a single Donald Trump meme online. The lawsuit alleged violations of constitutional free speech rights and named Sheriff Nick Weems, Investigator Jason Morrow, and Perry County, Tennessee. The case was resolved without trial through an announced settlement. Bushart stated that his First Amendment rights were vindicated and emphasized that public participation in civil discourse is crucial to a healthy democracy. The incident involved a retired police officer representing him through FIRE, and it drew attention for perceived political overtones and alleged police overreach.
"Larry Bushart, the Tennessee man whose story kicked up a hornets' nest in online communities of those who care about free speech and fighting back against police overreach, has won a significant settlement in the inevitable civil rights lawsuit that followed his outrageous, 37-day imprisonment by a small town Tennessee sheriff for the high crime of posting a single Donald Trump meme online. The retired police officer-one of the oddest details of this story, considering that cops so infrequently go after other cops-was represented by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expressions (FIRE), and filed a civil suit in December against Sheriff Nick Weems, Investigator Jason Morrow, and Perry County, Tennessee, for the violation of his constitutional rights to free speech."
"In order to avoid trial, the parties announced today that Bushart will receive an $835,000 settlement. "I am pleased my First Amendment rights have been vindicated," said Bushart in a statement. "The people's freedom to participate in civil discourse is crucial to a healthy democracy. I am looking forward to moving on and spending time with my family.""
"Bushart's story stands out as one of the most jarring instances of a capricious law enforcement response seen during the second Trump administration, with obvious political overtones. In the immediate wake of the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, Larry Bushart-who in his retirement had essentially become a very online left-wing troll-posted memes in various local Facebook groups in Perry County, Tenn., in an attempt to illustrate the clear hypocrisy of Republican responses to gun violence depending on the scenario. One of these memes was a direct quote from Donald Trump, in which Trump stated that "We have to get over it," the day after a school shooting in the unrelated town of Perry, Iowa."
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