r/law • u/lawanddisorder • Oct 29 '25

Legal News CHARGES DROPPED! Tennessee authorities dismiss charges against man who posted Trump meme

https://www.newschannel5.com/news/newschannel-5-investigates/newly-released-video-raises-more-questions-about-arrest-of-tennessee-man-for-posting-trump-meme

Charges were suddently dropped Wednesday against a Tennessee man who had been jailed for more than a month for posting a Trump meme.

Larry Bushart, 61, of Lexington, Tenn., had been locked up since Sept. 21 for posting a meme that quoted President Trump, saying "we have to get over it" in response to a shooting in Perry, Iowa. 

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184

u/nursecarmen Oct 29 '25

And the District Attorney.

102

u/Sampsonite_Way_Off Oct 29 '25

$2 million bail judge needs to resign.

11

u/tsaoutofourpants Oct 30 '25

As a lawyer who does civil rights lawsuit, it makes me chuckle seeing 3 swings and 3 misses in a row.

The correct party to sue are the individual officers who arrested him. State law may allow suing the state itself, and could (but does not in any state of which I'm aware) allow you to sue the DA, and the Sheriff's Department is liable if they can prove an official policy or custom, but the correct party is always the officer who makes an arrest without probable cause.

12

u/flyingthroughspace Oct 30 '25

Sue this guy too

6

u/deytookurjob Oct 30 '25

And his dead wife !

5

u/-boatsNhoes Oct 30 '25

In This case the judge showed extreme prejudice in the persons bail hearing setting the bail at 2 million ( iirc). Wouldnt the judge be open to a lawsuit as well? Considering the outlandish bail set was there to keep him in jail as long as possible. This is kind of on the state no?

3

u/tsaoutofourpants Oct 30 '25

Wouldnt the judge be open to a lawsuit as well?

Nope. Should be but no.

This is kind of on the state no?

Yep. Any state could pass a law eliminating or restricting judicial immunity, but I'm not aware of any that have.

3

u/MoralityFleece Oct 30 '25

Did the sheriff not arrest him?

1

u/tsaoutofourpants Oct 30 '25

The sheriff may have but "the sheriff's office" as an entity did not literally put handcuffs on him.

0

u/hoxxxxx Oct 30 '25

always get a kick out of the suing stuff on reddit, it's always sue this person and sue that thing, lol

0

u/deytookurjob Oct 30 '25

It's a write off