Metzger v. City of Monroe

On November 5, 2025, the Liberty Justice Center filed a federal lawsuit against the City of Monroe, North Carolina, and Mayor Robert Burns (in his official capacity), challenging city rules that restrict speech and petition during the public comment period at Monroe City Council meetings.

Lisa Metzger regularly attends City Council meetings and uses the open public comment period to address matters of public concern. This time is available to anyone from anywhere to speak on any topic and, up until recently, the meetings were livestreamed and posted online. In recent months, the City has adopted and enforced policies that compel speakers to disclose and verbally state their full personal primary residence address before speaking. The Council also prohibits “yelling,” “insulting,” “rude,” “abusive,” and “personal” comments and so-called “public ridicule.” These vague new policies empower officials to cut off speakers or have them removed by law enforcement at the presiding officer’s discretion.

The City’s compelled-address rule forces speakers to broadcast their exact home address as a precondition to speaking on controversial issues, deterring participation through fear of harassment and retaliation. Ms. Metzger has herself received threats and witnessed others forfeit their speaking time rather than expose their families to danger by announcing their home addresses on camera.

Additionally, City officials have used these rules to interrupt, sanction, and eject speakers who directly address council members or raise uncomfortable topics, thereby restricting viewpoint expression and undermining the right to petition government.

As a municipal government, the City of Monroe is bound by the First and Fourteenth Amendments. By compelling speakers to disclose their home addresses and censoring speech critical of government officials, the City violates the freedoms of speech and petition and enforces vague, overbroad rules that invite arbitrary enforcement.

The Liberty Justice Center’s lawsuit Metzger v. City of Monroe asks the court to halt Monroe’s compelled address disclosure and speech restrictions and to protect the right of citizens to speak freely and petition their elected officials without fear of retaliation.

“City officials cannot hide from criticism. They must allow citizens to speak their mind. We hope this lawsuit bring the First Amendment back to Monroe City Council meetings,” said Ryan Morrison, senior counsel at the Liberty Justice Center.

Metzger v. City of Monroe, North Carolina was filed in the United States District Court for the Western District of North Carolina, Charlotte Division, on November 5, 2025.