Threatened with a lawsuit, Colorado lifts its ban of clothing with political messages

Jeffrey Hunt in his evil sweatshirt.
Photo courtesy of JeffreyGrounds Photography.
Pushback: Colorado has now been forced to lift its ban on visitors wearing clothing with political messages when they enter the gallery of the state legislature after it was threatened with a lawsuit for enforcing that ban arbitrarily and clearly favoring some political messages over others.
On March 31, 2023, Jeffrey Hunt came to that visiter gallery wearing a pro-life sweatshirt and was forced to leave by security, as described by the cease-and-desist letter sent to by Hunt’s lawyers.
Sergeant-At-Arms Ben Trujillo approached Hunt and instructed him to exit the gallery. Hunt complied. After leaving the gallery, Trujillo told Hunt that “Pro-Life U” was a “political statement” prohibited by a rule banning “pins or apparel expressing political statements”.
Yet, security had no problem with an entire group of demonstrators filling the gallery wear gun control shirts only two weeks earlier.
That letter, sent by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) on July 16, 2024, noted this unfair application of the rule. More importantly, it pointed out that the rule was a clear violation of the First Amendment. It demanded that the state cease enforcing this illegal law, or face a lawsuit.
Less than a month later, the state backed down, ending the rule.
Across the nation there have been numerous similar stories of security guard control freaks illegally censoring conservative speech. And in every case, when faced with legal action those venues have backed down every single time, proving the importance of fighting. See for example this story at the Smithsonian, or this story at the National Archives.
The news in space and science is very very slow today, so this short political news piece gets posted first, sent to me over the weekend by radio host Robert Pratt.
Jeffrey Hunt in his evil sweatshirt.
Photo courtesy of JeffreyGrounds Photography.
Pushback: Colorado has now been forced to lift its ban on visitors wearing clothing with political messages when they enter the gallery of the state legislature after it was threatened with a lawsuit for enforcing that ban arbitrarily and clearly favoring some political messages over others.
On March 31, 2023, Jeffrey Hunt came to that visiter gallery wearing a pro-life sweatshirt and was forced to leave by security, as described by the cease-and-desist letter sent to by Hunt’s lawyers.
Sergeant-At-Arms Ben Trujillo approached Hunt and instructed him to exit the gallery. Hunt complied. After leaving the gallery, Trujillo told Hunt that “Pro-Life U” was a “political statement” prohibited by a rule banning “pins or apparel expressing political statements”.
Yet, security had no problem with an entire group of demonstrators filling the gallery wear gun control shirts only two weeks earlier.
That letter, sent by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) on July 16, 2024, noted this unfair application of the rule. More importantly, it pointed out that the rule was a clear violation of the First Amendment. It demanded that the state cease enforcing this illegal law, or face a lawsuit.
Less than a month later, the state backed down, ending the rule.
Across the nation there have been numerous similar stories of security guard control freaks illegally censoring conservative speech. And in every case, when faced with legal action those venues have backed down every single time, proving the importance of fighting. See for example this story at the Smithsonian, or this story at the National Archives.
The news in space and science is very very slow today, so this short political news piece gets posted first, sent to me over the weekend by radio host Robert Pratt.