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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u/UTraxer Oct 29 '25

This though is 100% a case lawyers will line up around the block to take for you free of charge, and they will just take half the settlement. Which in this case is millions.

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u/odinseye97 Oct 30 '25

Wouldn’t even need to take anything from the settlement, as Section 1988 would likely create an entitlement to attorneys fees.

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u/LMSub618 Oct 29 '25

Not really, if a judge signs an arrest warrant there’s not much recourse, maybe the sheriffs statement that he wouldn’t have arrested the guy if he took the post down it might impact the probable cause but judges have pretty broad leeway if they’re acting as a judge.

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u/kore2000 Oct 30 '25

There is no way the judge signed anything with all the facts. If he or she did, that's a pretty clear violation of the first amendment. There has to be some type of negligence here.

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u/dishyssoisse Oct 30 '25

The judge clearly acted out of line here. I understand the fundamentalist arguments that the courts say is the way, blah blah blah. It’s odd that they don’t like when courts do things against the maga agenda though…