Subject: LOL: Raising middle finger at poLICE is free speech protected by the Constitutional, court rules Thu Mar 14, 2019 8:56 pm
A federal appeals court in Cincinnati has ruled that “raising” a middle finger at a police officer is protected as free speech. In a ruling filed this week, the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals said: "Any reasonable officer would know that a citizen who raises her middle finger engages in speech protected by the First Amendment.” The case stems from a 2017 traffic stop in suburban Detroit. Taylor police Officer Matthew Minard pulled over Debra Cruise-Gulyas for speeding. Minard apparently decided to show leniency and wrote a ticket for a lesser violation.