(Queen City News)—A lawsuit has been filed involving a Cabarrus County man who is accusing the county of silencing him and violating his First Amendment rights following an incident earlier this year at a Board of Commissioners public meeting.
The lawsuit, announced by the Liberty Justice Center, was filed on November 21 by James Campbell regarding the April 15, 2024 incident when Campbell asked the board to investigate corruption involving the local Department of Social Services offices.
After the board claimed he violated meeting policy by reading off a list of names of employees who he stated had failed his family, he was ordered to be removed from the meeting.
Commissioners interrupted Campbell and had four deputies escort him out, the video shows.
“Government officials cannot restrict the public’s right to free speech just because government employees don’t want to hear criticism. The First Amendment protects all Americans’ fundamental rights to discuss matters of public concern at public meetings, to criticize the actions of government officials, and to petition the government for redress of grievances,” said Buck Dougherty, Senior Counsel at the Liberty Justice Center in a released statement. “We are proud to take a stand for Mr. Campbell’s rights, and we ask the Court to hold the Board accountable for abusing the First Amendment to stifle criticism of county employees.”
Read the full article, accompanied by a video Q&A with Queen City News reporters and a legal analyst discussing whether the participation policy is legal, here.