Lawsuits
A wave of lawsuits has resulted from online comments after Charlie Kirk’s assassination
The assassination of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk has led to a wave of lawsuits. (Getty Images)
The assassination of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk has led to a wave of lawsuits that reveal how Americans were investigated, fired, and in one case, arrested for their online reactions to his death, reports NPR.
One of the most dramatic cases involves Larry Bushart, a retired police officer in Lexington, Tenn, according to NPR. A self-described progressive and “keyboard warrior,” he posted memes that mocked Republican officials’ mourning over Kirk. He was arrested by local police at the request of Sheriff Nick Weems of Perry County, Tenn.
Prosecutors later dropped the charges, and Bushart is now suing, represented by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression.
In another example last month, according to NPR, the American Federation of Teachers filed a lawsuit against the Texas Education Agency for the way its leadership asked superintendents to report teachers for “inappropriate content” they may have shared about Kirk. The agency collected 354 complaints, and 95 are still being investigated. The AFT says this process — which was endorsed on X by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott — unleashed a “wave of retribution.”
Vice President J.D. Vance, who hosted Kirk’s podcast days after the assassination, invoked what he called a civil society. “It flows from all of us. So when you see someone celebrating Charlie’s murder, call them out, and hell, call their employer,” Vance told listeners.
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