A Michigan court has ruled that screaming at parking enforcement is theoretically free speech. Ergo, warning that guy giving a ticket is constitutionally protected.
Getting the right to yell
Most people recognize the fact that it is rude to yell at parking enforcement officers who are doing a job. According to AutoBlog, Michigan State University took it a step further by making it against the law to yell at parking administration employees doing their job. It is really a crime to disrupt any university employee trying to carry out campus business.
There was one male, Jared Rapp, who came out and found an officer putting a ticket on his car in 2008. When he yelled at the officer, he was arrested and convicted of interfering with an employee. Rapp easily appealed, and this led to the Michigan Supreme Court ruling that it is not legal to enforce a law like that since Rapp was protected by free speech laws, according to the Detroit News.
Get protected with the constitution
There are numerous court cases that hold some aspects of motoring and car-related life that can be considered annoying but are constitutionally-protected speech. It depends on the circumstances, though.
One woman, Helen Immelt, was given a ticket after she honked her horn at her neighbor and got in trouble with the homeowner's association for having chickens in the back of her home. She ended up getting arrested in 2006, but the conviction was thrown out by the Washington State Supreme Court in 2011 due to free speech. The Seattle Times reports that it is constitutionally protected to honk your horn.
However, that same year, according to CBS Milwaukee, a male who honked his horn driving by the home of Wisconsin governor Walker during his morning drive to work out of protest was fined by a state trooper. Azael Brodhead, though, was found to be engaging in non-protected behavior and in September 2011, was ordered to pay his fines.
Flashing lights to keep away from the flashing lights
Some drivers flash lights to warn other drivers of cops up ahead. A Florida judge ruled earlier this year that doing this is free speech, according to AutoBlog, and law enforcement cannot ticket motorists for doing so. However, it has yet to be ruled on or tried in other states, so some motorists who engage in said activity could be targeted by law enforcement. As with any court case involving free speech, generally one has to go through several years of litigation before a ruling may or may not exonerate them.
Getting the right to yell
Most people recognize the fact that it is rude to yell at parking enforcement officers who are doing a job. According to AutoBlog, Michigan State University took it a step further by making it against the law to yell at parking administration employees doing their job. It is really a crime to disrupt any university employee trying to carry out campus business.
There was one male, Jared Rapp, who came out and found an officer putting a ticket on his car in 2008. When he yelled at the officer, he was arrested and convicted of interfering with an employee. Rapp easily appealed, and this led to the Michigan Supreme Court ruling that it is not legal to enforce a law like that since Rapp was protected by free speech laws, according to the Detroit News.
Get protected with the constitution
There are numerous court cases that hold some aspects of motoring and car-related life that can be considered annoying but are constitutionally-protected speech. It depends on the circumstances, though.
One woman, Helen Immelt, was given a ticket after she honked her horn at her neighbor and got in trouble with the homeowner's association for having chickens in the back of her home. She ended up getting arrested in 2006, but the conviction was thrown out by the Washington State Supreme Court in 2011 due to free speech. The Seattle Times reports that it is constitutionally protected to honk your horn.
However, that same year, according to CBS Milwaukee, a male who honked his horn driving by the home of Wisconsin governor Walker during his morning drive to work out of protest was fined by a state trooper. Azael Brodhead, though, was found to be engaging in non-protected behavior and in September 2011, was ordered to pay his fines.
Flashing lights to keep away from the flashing lights
Some drivers flash lights to warn other drivers of cops up ahead. A Florida judge ruled earlier this year that doing this is free speech, according to AutoBlog, and law enforcement cannot ticket motorists for doing so. However, it has yet to be ruled on or tried in other states, so some motorists who engage in said activity could be targeted by law enforcement. As with any court case involving free speech, generally one has to go through several years of litigation before a ruling may or may not exonerate them.
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