Michigan Freedom of Speech Lawyer

Michigan Freedom Of Speech

Do you feel your right to freedom of speech has been violated? Law Offices of Christopher Trainor & Associates specializes in protecting your constitutional rights. Freedom of speech seems to be one of those rights that will always be there, but don’t get too comfortable with that notion just yet. Freedom of speech gets tested and violated every day in the U.S., and it’s one of those laws that we take for granted until we find ourselves on the wrong side of a dispute where it’s called into play. That does not mean that you have the right to say anything you want either. If you make a statement that makes a false claim, expressly stated or implied to be factual, that may harm the reputation of an individual, business, product, group, government or nation, you are now guilty of defamation. That could bring on its own set of problems. Most jurisdictions allow legal actions, civil and/or criminal, to deter various kinds of defamation. This should not be confused with libel or slander, which both require publication.

Amendment I:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, prohibiting the free exercise thereof; abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

Just how sacred is this ground?

• Ferndale, MI: The ACLU of Michigan had to file a federal lawsuit against the city asking the court to strike down the city’s policies of arresting peace protesters who encourage passing motorists to honk in support of their demonstration, “Honk for Peace,” and ticketing motorists who honk. So they switched to signs that read, “Police Say: Don’t Honk for Peace.”
• Detroit, MI: A 10-year-old honor roll student was kicked out of school for the length of his hair. The school claimed it enacted its hair length policy to curb disruptions in the educational environment. The student maintained an excellent academic record and had no significant disciplinary history.
• Ann Arbor, MI: the state of Michigan set out to punish the Ann Arbor Film Festival for screening films that the state deemed “objectionable.” The state’s punishment included withdrawing undistributed Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs (MCACA) program grants.
• Flint, MI: The ACLU of Michigan had to file a class action lawsuit against the city and the Flint Police Department and Genesee County Sheriff Department on behalf of 40 innocent young men and women who were strip-searched and/or cavity searched and wrongfully arrested in licensed Flint nightclub.

Freedom of speech should never be taken for granted because it is one of the most fundamental and sacred laws governing us as individuals and setting aside from most of the world. It is one of the core laws that made us who we are today as a nation. The trampling of civil rights should always be seen as a detriment to everything we hold dear in this country and should never be undervalued. Once our foundation erodes, what will our society sit upon?