World·NewThe zeal of some Republican officials and activists to punish those who made disparaging comments about Charlie Kirk after his September killing is coming back to haunt them.6-figure settlements paid to Florida, Tennessee citizensChris Iorfida · CBC News · Posted: May 22, 2026 12:16 PM EDT | Last Updated: 36 minutes agoListen to this articleEstimated 5 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results.A woman holds a sign at a demonstration in response to the suspension of Jimmy Kimmel's late-night show outside of The Walt Disney Studios on Sept. 18, 2025, in Burbank, Calif. In addition to the ABC host, many everyday Americans faced censure for comments made in the wake of Charlie Kirk's killing. (Jae C. Hong/The Associated Press)Republican officials and conservative activists took to social media in the days after Charlie Kirk's assassination last September to find and police comments they believed were insensitive to the legacy of the MAGA-friendly activist. As a result, educators and both public and private sector employees who were viewed as promoting hate speech were suspended or fired. In one case, a man was jailed for over a month. By November Reuters had catalogued some 600 instances of Americans facing censure for comments on Kirk's death that ranged from benign to critical to offensive.Now, the bill is coming due for those forceful responses — which have been often found to run afoul of First Amendment protections for free speech — and it is sometimes coming at taxpayers' expense. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) on Thursday announced that Brittney Brown had reached a nearly half-million dollar settlement with Florida. Brown, a biologist, was fired after about seven years with the state's Fish and Wildlife Conversation (FWC) Commission, after sharing a meme on a private Instagram story that compared indifference to the shooting death of Kirk to accusations that Kirk, a gun-rights advocate, was indifferent to school shooting deaths in the U.S. The popular Libs of TikTok account found Brown's meme and demanded her termination.Brown won't get her job back, but the ACLU said the FWC "agreed to provide Brown a neutral reference for future employment inquiries" and not target her if her work in the field should intersect with state agencies in the future.“All I wanted was my job back,” Brown said. “FWC employees deserve better, and so do Floridians.”<br><br>We are proud to stand with Brittney in this fight. What happened to her was not an isolated incident, but a reflection of a broader pattern of state official overreach.—ACLUFLThe settlement follows remarkable comments last week from a federal judge, after Brown's former boss, Melissa Tucker, was found to have baselessly claimed that the state received "hundreds" of complaints about Brown's Instagram post."There is a label for what Ms. Tucker did — making false statements. And there is a label for what [her] defence counsel has done — vexatious litigation," said U.S. District Judge Mark Walker, according to local media reports.Brown expressed frustration with the events of the past nine months in a statement released Thursday, while accusing the government of Gov. Ron DeSantis of hypocrisy. "I see no leaders amongst FWC ‘leadership,’ but that’s to be expected when a state agency becomes the governor’s personal puppet show," said Brown. "The ‘Free State of Florida’ only provides First Amendment protections to those in favour with the current administration, while the rest of us are expected to fall in line or risk losing our livelihoods."U.S. revokes visas for 6 foreigners over Charlie Kirk-related speechDid Jimmy Kimmel 'mislead' people with Charlie Kirk comments, and does it matter?Larry Bushart, 61, was more relieved than angry after it was announced he would receive $835,000 US from Tennesse after spending 37 days in jail last year.Bushart, a retired police officer, was charged with a felony — threatening mass violence at a school — and his bond set at $2 million US. The charge was later dropped.A makeshift memorial is shown on Sept. 11, 2025, at Kirk's Turning Point USA headquarters in Phoenix, Ariz., after his shooting death. Kirk was beloved by many Republicans, and some officials reacted fiercely to criticisms of the outspoken activist. (Ross D. Franklin/The Associated Press)The meme he'd posted on Facebook featured U.S. President Donald Trump saying "we have to get over it" after a school shooting in 2024 at Iowa's Perry County. Bushart wrote atop it: "This seems relevant today," shortly after Kirk's shooting death.Tennessee Perry County Sheriff Nick Weems told news outlets that residents were alarmed by the post, fearing Bushart was threatening the local high school.Bushart said Wednesday that "freedom to participate in civil discourse is crucial to a healthy democracy," and that he is "looking forward to moving on."Iowa reinstates public defenderThe state of Iowa, meanwhile, announced its own Kirk-related settlement earlier this month. Public defender Maria Ruthtenberg — terminated after posting on social media "reap what you sow" and "live by the sword, die by the sword" — was resinstated and received $125,000 US in compensation.When Kirk was gunned down at a Utah university on Sept. 10, 2025, the Trump administration quickly issued warnings about rhetoric. The State Department said it would revoke the visas of any visitors to the U.S. who celebrated Kirk's assassination. WATCH | Nothing funny about gun violence, Kimmel says in return:Jimmy Kimmel delivers emotional monologue on free speech after 6-day suspensionSeptember 24, 2025|Duration 7:15Jimmy Kimmel returned to late-night television on Tuesday, defending political satire against 'bullying' by the Trump administration, six days after his on-air remarks about the murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk led Disney to suspend his show.Sen. Marsha Blackburn, now running to be Tennessee's governor, called on social media for the firings of three college or university officials in that state. Darren Michael, a professor at Austin Peay State University, on Sept. 10 had posted the headline of a 2023 news article reading, "Charlie Kirk Says Gun Deaths 'Unfortunately' Worth it to Keep 2nd Amendment."He was fired, but reinstated a few months later, receiving a reported $500,000 US settlement. After Kirk's death, progressive commentators and some Democratic lawmakers remarked on what they saw as hypocrisy, as stories about conservative guests having speeches cancelled at liberal colleges have enraged Republicans for years. As well, Vice-President JD Vance has lectured European countries who have expressed concerns about hate speech contained on social media sites owned by U.S. companies.It was also pointed out that Kirk himself once seemed to joke about the serious beating suffered by Paul Pelosi, spouse of former Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Kirk suggested on his radio show that if someone bailed out the then-suspect, a Canadian-born man who was later convicted, they'd be an "amazing patriot."Trump, meanwhile, has not practised the kind of restraint in rhetoric that Republicans called for since Kirk's killing, posting what were widely viewed as disparaging or insensitive comments after the recent deaths of director Rob Reiner and former FBI director Robert Mueller. ABOUT THE AUTHORChris Iorfida, based in Toronto, has been with CBC since 2002 and written on subjects as diverse as politics, business, health, sports, arts and entertainment, science and technology.With files from the Associated Press