Lifestyle Man arrested for refusing to remove vulgar sticker

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Sheepdog

Protecting America from excessive stool loitering
Dec 1, 2015
8,912
14,237
I hate this is the guy that will help us uphold free speech, but it be what it be.
The problem is that this likely does violate the obscenity standard that the US Supreme Court decided. One could argue that the police were doing their jobs. It's not so black and white, even if we want it to be.

Free speech is often a more complex issue than absolutists make it out to be, both legally and morally.
 
M

member 3289

Guest
The problem is that this likely does violate the obscenity standard that the US Supreme Court decided. One could argue that the police were doing their jobs. It's not so black and white, even if we want it to be.

Free speech is often a more complex issue than absolutists make it out to be, both legally and morally.
Agree but charges have already been dropped and the guy is planning a lawsuit:

In a May 9 letter to the Columbia County Sheriff's Office, Assistant State Attorney John Foster Durrett stated that all charges against 23-year-old Dillon Shane Webb have been dropped, and that his "I Eat Ass" sticker is in fact protected by the First Amendment.

"Having evaluated the evidence through the prism of Supreme Court precedent it is determined the Defendant has a valid defense to be raised under the First Amendment of our United States Constitution. Given such, a jury would not convict under these facts," said Durrett in the letter.

An attorney for Webb told Anne Shindler of First Coast News that a lawsuit against the Columbia County Sheriff's Office is now likely.

"Now we transition from defense to offense," said the attorney. "The First Amendment was our defense. What is Sheriff Hunter's defense? We will find out!"

Overzealous sheriff's deputy who should have just let shit go
 

Robbie Hart

All Biden Voters Are Mindless Sheep
Feb 13, 2015
49,703
50,709
The problem is that this likely does violate the obscenity standard that the US Supreme Court decided. One could argue that the police were doing their jobs. It's not so black and white, even if we want it to be.

Free speech is often a more complex issue than absolutists make it out to be, both legally and morally.
 

Sheepdog

Protecting America from excessive stool loitering
Dec 1, 2015
8,912
14,237
Agree but charges have already been dropped and the guy is planning a lawsuit.

In a May 9 letter to the Columbia County Sheriff's Office, Assistant State Attorney John Foster Durrett stated that all charges against 23-year-old Dillon Shane Webb have been dropped, and that his "I Eat Ass" sticker is in fact protected by the First Amendment.

"Having evaluated the evidence through the prism of Supreme Court precedent it is determined the Defendant has a valid defense to be raised under the First Amendment of our United States Constitution. Given such, a jury would not convict under these facts," said Durrett in the letter.

Overzealous sheriff's deputy who should have just let shit go
I knew this when I posted.

My point was not that the Sheriff was right (far from it) nor that the prosecutor is wrong to believe that they would lose (they would) but simply that the Obscenity definition could also very reasonably (in the legal sense) be interpreted the other way too.

The larger point being simply that 'free speech' is always more complicated than people think it is.
 

SongExotic2

ATM 3 CHAMPION OF THE WORLD. #FREECAIN
First 100
Jan 16, 2015
39,772
53,672
Cop better not try that shit on me!

I'll roundhouse that motherfucker