Perry County pays $835k to settle lawsuit after sheriff jailed man for 37 days over Trump meme

Larry Bushart and his wife. (Photo: LadyJay Creations LLC and FIRE)

by Adam Friedman, Tennessee Lookout, May 23, 2026-  A Perry County man, who was wrongly
detained for 37 days for posting a meme following the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, has settled the case for $835,000.

Larry Bushart was arrested by a Perry County Sheriff’s Office in September for posting a Facebook meme in a thread about a vigil honoring Kirk after he was shot and killed. 

Bushart’s meme included the quote “seems relevant today” and a picture of President Donald Trump, quoted as saying, “We have to get over it.” Under the quote, it said “President Donald Trump, one day after the Perry High School mass shooting.”

The meme is a reference to a 2024 school shooting in Iowa, not the Perry County High School in Tennessee. 

Sheriff’s deputies arrested Bushart, claiming the meme “threatening a mass shooting” at the local school, and had his bond set at $2 million, an amount he could not afford. 

Prosecutors dropped the charges against Bushart five weeks later after the news of the incident had been picked up nationally, and Perry County Sheriff Nick Weems admitted to NewsChannel 5 that he knew the meme referenced the Iowa shooting, even if the public didn’t.

The First Amendment rights organization, the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, FIRE, represented Bushart in his lawsuit against Weems and the county.

“No one should be hauled off to jail in the dark of night over a harmless meme just because the authorities disagree with its message,” said Adam Steinbaugh, an attorney with FIRE, in a news release. “Local law enforcement never should have forced him to endure this ordeal in the first place.”

Kirk’s death sparked a wide range of emotions. Communities around the country honored Kirk in for his conservative activism. But he was also known for his fierce defense of the Second Amendment and gun rights. Kirk in 2023 said “some gun deaths” were worth the cost to “protect our other God-given rights.”

His killing also led to a crackdown on speech. Leaders with the U.S. Federal Communications Commission tried to get late-night host Jimmy Kimmel’s show canceled after he criticized Kirk after the killing.

In Tennessee, FIRE also represented an Austin Peay State University professor who was initially fired for posts quoting Kirk. The organization helped him get reinstated and a $500,000 settlement. 

FIRE is also currently representing a former employee of a state commerce and insurance department who was fired for posts criticizing Kirk. 

Top Stories

Immune From Trump Retribution, Republicans May Now be Willing to Defy Trump.

by Rod Williams, May 22, 2026 - Finally! To put it crudely, it looks like Republicans are growing a pair. It is too early to know if it will stick, but Republicans seem ready to defy Trump. Ever since the start of Trump's second term, Republicans have rolled over and played dead. They have acted like puppy dogs yearning for that pat on the head. They have accepted massive corruption and trampling of the Constitution and policies that were anathema to long-held Republican values. It looks like establishing a $1.8 billion slush fund to reward violent January 6th insurrectionists and other Trump allies who will break the law on his behalf is a bridge too far. 

Trump just showed his power and his continued iron grip on the party on Tuesday, when senators Cassidy and Massie, two incumbent Republican senators who had dared cross Trump, were denied their party's nomination. Also on Tuesday, Trump endorsed Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton over incumbent Sen. John Cornyn who had also proved insufficiently subservient to Trump.  Earlier in May, five of seven Republican state senators in Indiana who had opposed President Trump’s redistricting plan for that state were defeated by Trump-backed challengers. The message was clear: Cross Trump and he will crush you. 

So, Trump proved he can crush those who dare vote against him or question him. However, there are seven months left before these defeated senators leave office, and now they have nothing to lose. They are free to do the right thing. Maybe freedom is another word for nothing left to lose.  If a Senator wants to vote contrary to Trump's wishes or ask hard questions in committee, Trump is powerless to punish them. The filing deadline has passed for primary challengers to run against the incumbent. 

With Cassidy, and Massie, and more likely than not Cornyn, occupying their seat for seven more months after Trump defeated them in their primary, they are not going to be inclined to be too compliant with Trump's desires.   In addition to Cassidy, Massie, and probably Cornyn, who have nothing left to lose and with no love lost for Trump, you have Sens. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Rand Paul, R-KY, who are always of questionable blind loyalty to Trump.

With Trump a lame duck, aggrieved senators in office, and other senators now immune to Trump retribution, maybe the Senate will now do the right thing. Maybe we have turned a corner. 

Top Stories

Larry Bushart Jailed for Anit-Trump Tweet Wins $835K Settlement

Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), May 21, 2026 - Larry Bushart is a retired law enforcement officer and National Guardsman who believes, like many Americans, that free speech includes the right to react to the news — even when the moment is tense or controversial.

In the aftermath of Charlie Kirk’s murder, Larry posted a meme on Facebook responding to the event. He did not commit violence. He did not threaten anyone. All he did was post an image of President Trump’s remark about a school shooting with the caption: “This seems relevant today.” 

But local authorities didn’t like what he said, so they arrested him.

Larry spent 37 days in jail on a $2 million bond for speech protected by the First Amendment. That’s the kind of treatment usually reserved for accused murderers and violent criminals. He lost his post-retirement job, missed his wedding anniversary, and the birth of his grandchild. In the United States, this should be unthinkable.

That’s why FIRE represented Larry in a lawsuit against the government for violating his constitutional rights and secured an $835K settlement on his behalf. 

For more than two decades, FIRE has defended Americans whose free speech rights were violated by those in power. From students and professors to journalists, parents, and everyday citizens, we step in when government officials abuse their authority to silence speech.

Larry Bushart

What happened to Larry isn’t just an attack on one person — it’s a warning about what happens when government power goes unchecked, and a preview of our future if we don’t stand up to defend everyone’s freedom of speech.

Stand for free speech. Stand with Larry.

Join the fight to ensure no one else is jailed for exercising their rights.

Rod's Comment

The above article doesn't mention it, but Larry Bushart is a Tennessee man. He was arrested in September 2025 by Lexington, Tennessee, police and jailed in Perry County.

What happened to Larry Bushart is an outrage. As we watch President Trump advance his authoritarian agenda, we can expect more of this. I know the pro-democracy side in this conflict with Trump authoritarianism often feels disheartened. The establishment of a $1.77 billion slush fund to reward those who commit violence or other crimes on Trump's behalf will embolden Trumpinista radicals. The defeat of the last vestige of traditional Republicanism in recent Republican primaries is depressing, and we can feel like authoritarianism is inevitable and there is no point in resisting. Especially for us conservatives and Republican exiles, the future of our nation looks bleak. It can often appear that the only choice is between Trumpian authoritarianism and corruption or progressive democratic socialism.  It can feel like we might as well withdraw from civic life and focus on hobbies, family, and entertainment. 

We shouldn't despair. There are victories, like this one. We can't afford to withdraw and give up. Too much is at stake. How much common cause we can make with the left can be a difficult decision. I have no illusion that many in the anti-Trump coalition are any more committed to the values I hold dear than are the Trumpinistas. Yet, there are things we can do. One is to support sane democrats if you can find them and traditional Republicans who have not sold their soul to Donald Trump, if can find them.  Another is to support real journalism so the truth of what is happening does not get buried by Trump media and Trump-adjacent media. Another is to support organizations like FIRE. They are fighting for free speech wherever it is threatened and are one of the organizations I support with my charitable giving. 

To donate to FIRE, follow this link. 

Top Stories

 

Top Stories

Performative Posturing and Virtue Signaling at Last Night's Council Meeting

by Megan Podsiedlik, The Pamphleteer, May 20, 2026 - After Pro Tempore Delishia Porterfield
opened with her recurring reminder that “no one is illegal on stolen land that was built by stolen labor” and a visit from Doug the Pug, fomenting Starbucks baristas set the stage for last night’s Metro Council meeting.

“Starbucks doesn't want to actually meet their workers,” said a local Starbucks employee during last night’s announcement period. “They want Nashville's culture, they want our labor, they want our growth, our tourism, and our tax breaks. And while executives pose for cameras, baristas are being pushed harder than ever before; workers are dealing with impossible drive-thru times, severe understaffing, increasingly complicated drink builds, and now disciplinary threats over not writing one word on a cup.”

Yesterday, twenty council members signed onto a letter delivered by Councilmember Sean Parker to Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol requesting the company “finalize a fair union contract” before settling down in Nashville.

“We are proud to foster a pro-business climate in our city and state,” reads the document. “At the same time, we must be clear that being pro-business or lower-cost than other locations is not an invitation to take advantage of our residents, pay unlivable wages, or interfere with workers’ legal right to organize.”

Ginny Welsch

Guests of Councilmember Ginny Welsch continued to stir things up by using the invocation, a time usually set aside for prayer, for something a bit more unconventional.

“Many have observed that we in the South have inherited from our centuries of slavery a culture that punishes whoever acknowledges harm, usually far more harshly than those who inflict it,” said one speaker. “We have not overcome that inheritance yet, but we're working on it.”

“For the God who listens, thank you for hearing us,” said another guest. “I've seen you weep when skyscrapers and cameras and weapons and police budgets and business districts and Super Bowls and wealth accumulation are considered the pinnacles of human achievement.”

Vice Mayor Angie Henderson poured on the drama when reminding the body that the invocation does not have to be a religious prayer.

“And even though it has most frequently been a Christian prayer in this chamber, it does also bear reminding, after the events on the National Mall on Sunday and as our country celebrates its 250th year, that we are not, and we've never been a 'Christian nation,'” said Henderson. “Though many people in state and federal leadership and the social media managers that support them are trying to make people believe that to be true.”

The council proceeded and took a few shots at the state. Though members denounced a new law that strips Metro of its majority appointment power over the Airport Authority—calling it a “hostile takeover”—with no discussion, they did discuss the new congressional map before denouncing it as well.

“These maps were not drawn to reflect the people; they were drawn to control the people,” said Councilmember Zulfat Suara. “They were drawn because the protections that once prevented racial gerrymandering have been stripped away by the very court entrusted to uphold them.”

The council also passed a resolution asking NES to reassess its new tree-trimming practices but decided to defer the resolution denouncing the performance and leadership of the Electric Power Board once again.

Top Stories

Search by Address for Local, State, and Congressional district Assignments.

Use your address to find your new Congressional district. Click here. 

Top Stories

Lamar Alexander Wants Republicans to Stand Up to Trump

Lamar Alexander

In a new memoir, the former senator, governor and cabinet member says President Trump committed an impeachable offense on Jan. 6 and calls on Congress to assert its power.

by Carl Hulse, New York Times, May 17, 2026 - Lamar Alexander played a crucial role in short-circuiting the first impeachment trial of President Trump when, as an influential Republican senator from Tennessee, he opposed calling witnesses and said the president’s attempts to pressure Ukraine didn’t meet the test for removal from office.

His role in the second impeachment might have been quite different had he remained in office just a few more weeks.

In his new memoir, “The Education of a Senator,” Mr. Alexander, 85, who is also a former governor, cabinet secretary and presidential candidate, writes with disgust about how the president exhorted the crowd that stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and penetrated the Senate chamber in an effort to block certification of the election.

He asserts that the president undermined the Constitution and assaulted the hallowed concept of the peaceful transfer of power.

“If those actions do not constitute a ‘high crime or misdemeanor,’ I do not know what does,” Mr. Alexander wrote in the book, which is subtitled “From J.F.K. to Trump.”

...  he does render a verdict on the conduct of his former colleagues as Mr. Trump has steamrolled over a compliant Senate in his second term. He finds them guilty of failing to assert themselves as the Constitution intended.

“To me, the most disappointing difference between the first and second Trump terms was not what Trump did, but what the Senate majority did not do,” Mr. Alexander wrote. “Republican senators rarely checked abuse of presidential authority.” (read it all)

Top Stories

Voting Rights Act Never Mandated Racial Districts

by Rod Williams, May 20, 2026 - While there has been outrage that the Supreme Court has made it possible for states to end racial Gerrymandering, I have not shared that outrage. Allowing states to draw Congressional district lines without carving out a Black district seems like an advance for democracy, not a step back.  This decision by the Court has been portrayed as a return to Jim Crow and an era when literacy tests and poll taxes disenfranchised African Americans. 

Let me be clear: I am disappointed with the Gerrymandering we are seeing. I would like professional planners to draw the lines based on a set of criteria that emphasize compactness, districts of shared interest, and historical identity. Counties and cities should only be split to the degree necessary to make each district of equal population. Of course, such a map of redrawn districts would still need to be adopted by the State legislature and perhaps some slight modification here and there could be made by legislators, but in general, the process would be guided by established criteria. Under this criterion, Nashville and Memphis would have members of Congress. I would also like for redistricting to occur only following a new census.

Since we do not have the process in place for the type of redistricting I prefer, I do not see the logic of saying all other districts can be sliced anyway you want, but Black voters should be entitled to a majority Black district. Some have made the argument that since Blacks make up 12.36% of the population, that percentage of Congress should be Black. Approximately 20% of the population is Hispanic, yet no one makes the argument that Hispanics should be guaranteed proportional representation in Congress. We don't have Catholic seats in Congress, nor Baptist seats, nor Women's seats, nor gay seats, nor seats for people younger than 30, and in my view, we should not.

The article below from Real Clear Politics makes the case that the Voting Rights Act never mandated creating racial Congressional Districts and mandating racial districts conflicts with the equal protection provisions of the 14th Amendment. 

Voting Rights Act Never Mandated Racial Districts

by Frank Miele, Real Clear Politics, May 20, 2026 - Ever since the recent decision of the Supreme Court limiting the use of race in drawing congressional districts, there has been a steady drumbeat of criticism claiming that the ruling somehow took away the rights of blacks and other minorities.

But nothing could be further from the truth.

As Justice Samuel Alito explained in his majority opinion, the prevailing interpretation of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 as requiring states to create congressional districts along racial lines actually undermined the constitutional rights of other citizens by colliding with the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment.

Unfortunately, the legal language of Alito’s opinion is difficult for the average reader to penetrate, so it is worth stepping back and looking at the actual language of the Voting Rights Act itself. The part of the law at issue is Section 2. As originally passed in 1965, Section 2 simply said:

No voting qualification or prerequisite to voting, or standard, practice, or procedure shall be imposed or applied by any State or political subdivision to deny or abridge the right of any citizen of the United States to vote on account of race or color.

This was a just and appropriate guarantee that no state could use devices such as literacy tests or other discriminatory practices to prevent citizens of a particular race from voting.

And in 1965, those concerns were tragically real. ...  it was not understood to require was racial engineering of congressional districts.

There was no suggestion in the original text that states would someday be expected to create congressional districts designed primarily around race in order to increase minority representation in Congress.

That interpretation arose largely after Congress amended Section 2 in 1982 ... The statute then adds an important limitation: Nothing in this section establishes a right to have members of a protected class elected in numbers equal to their proportion in the population. .. The revised Voting Rights Act never explicitly required states to create majority-minority congressional districts. Nor did it establish a right to proportional representation. ....

The Equal Protection Clause does not permit states to sort citizens primarily by race absent an extraordinarily compelling justification. ... Every state elects its senators statewide. In almost every state, minority voters routinely vote in elections where most candidates are white. Yet courts have never suggested that Senate elections violate the Voting Rights Act simply because minority voters do not always elect their preferred candidates.

... Contrary to the claims of critics, the court did not take away anyone’s right to vote. Nor did it repeal the Voting Rights Act. What it did was recognize that the Constitution places limits on how far government may go in using race as a political tool – even for ostensibly benevolent purposes. (to read it all follow this link)

Top Stories

 

Top Stories

 

Top Stories

 

Top Stories

 

Top Stories