A Tennessee man was awarded a sweeping settlement after he was targeted for posting a controversial meme following conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s assassination last year.Larry Bushart was jailed for 37 days, and his bail was set at $2 million before authorities dropped a felony charge against him in October, over a month after he posted Facebook memes about Kirk’s killing. Advocates argued the punishment was illegal, as controversial and hate speech is protected speech under the First Amendment. Critics said they interpreted one of the posts as a threat against a local high school and feared a mass shooting.Bushart filed a lawsuit in December against Perry County, Sheriff Nick Weems, and investigator Jason Morrow, who obtained the arrest warrant, alleging they violated his constitutional rights. Bushart secured a win this week, after Tennessee officials agreed to pay him $835,000 in exchange for dropping the lawsuit.
“I am pleased my First Amendment rights have been vindicated,” he said in a statement announcing the settlement on Wednesday. “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.”
