Anonymous ID: a8027f July 25, 2026, 11:31 a.m. No.24867412   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>7438 >>7463 >>7465 >>7513

Cato Institute Opposes Fifth Circuit’s Qualified Immunity Ruling on Free Speech

 

The case arose on a public sidewalk outside the Brookshire Grocery Arena in Bossier City, Louisiana, before a Christian rock concert, where Hershey was distributing pamphlets promoting the Christian Vegetarian Association. He was “peacefully exercising his First Amendment rights in a traditional public forum” when he was forced to leave, while a nearby commercial radio station was permitted to remain, an action Hershey argues demonstrates viewpoint discrimination.

 

Following the incident, Hershey filed a federal civil rights lawsuit under Section 1983, which the Cato Institute described as a Reconstruction-era law that allows individuals to seek damages when state or local officials violate their constitutional rights. After the lawsuit was filed, however, both the district court and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit ruled against Hershey, concluding the officers were protected by qualified immunity.

 

https://davisvanguard.org/2026/07/cato-leap-supreme-court-brief/