11th Circuit Says a Sheriff Violated the First Amendment by Posting Warning Signs on the Lawns of Registered Sex Offenders
Butts County, Georgia, Sheriff Gary Long cited no evidence to support his pre-Halloween stunt.
1 February 2022
reason.com
Butts County, Georgia, Sheriff Gary Long cited no evidence to support his pre-Halloween stunt.
1 February 2022
A Georgia sheriff violated the First Amendment when he posted signs on the lawns of registered sex offenders to warn away trick-or-treaters, a federal appeals court said in a recent ruling. A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit unanimously concluded that the signs amounted to unconstitutional government-compelled speech. The decision strikes a blow against irrational policies that stigmatize sex offenders without any plausible public safety payoff—in particular, panicky precautions against the special danger they allegedly pose on Halloween. Several days before Halloween in 2018, two sheriff's deputies put up cautionary signs in the front ...
11th Circuit Says a Sheriff Violated the First Amendment by Posting Warning Signs on the Lawns of Registered Sex Offenders
Butts County, Georgia, Sheriff Gary Long cited no evidence to support his pre-Halloween stunt.
reason.com