Parking tickets are an actual pain in the butt and some parking enforcement officials, though just doing a job, are rather stingy. Ordinarily, showing them an indication of one's displeasure is looked down upon, but a recent Michigan court ruling holds that shouting at parking enforcement is free speech.
University rule preventing screaming at parking administration tossed
Many people recognize the belief 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 actually a crime to disrupt any university employee attempting to carry out campus business.
In 2008, Jared Rapp found a parking enforcement official placing a ticket on his car and let him know that he was not amused. The officer retreated to his vehicle, called campus police, and Rapp was arrested and found guilty of interfering with a university employee. However, the Michigan Supreme Court has just ruled on Rapp's appeal, and, according to the Detroit News, tossed his conviction. The court held that Rapp's actions were guarded as speech.
Free speech will guard you
Depending on the circumstance, most courts have determined that annoying outbursts about cars are considered free speech. That means the annoying things are protected by the constitution.
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 guarded 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.
Free speech to utilize lights
Some drivers flash lights to warn other drivers of cops up ahead. A Florida judge ruled earlier this year that doing so is free speech, according to AutoBlog, and law enforcement cannot ticket motorists for doing this. However, it has yet to be ruled on or tried in other states, so some motorists who engage in said activity can be targeted by law enforcement. As with any court case involving free speech, typically one has to go through several years of litigation before a ruling may or may not exonerate them.
University rule preventing screaming at parking administration tossed
Many people recognize the belief 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 actually a crime to disrupt any university employee attempting to carry out campus business.
In 2008, Jared Rapp found a parking enforcement official placing a ticket on his car and let him know that he was not amused. The officer retreated to his vehicle, called campus police, and Rapp was arrested and found guilty of interfering with a university employee. However, the Michigan Supreme Court has just ruled on Rapp's appeal, and, according to the Detroit News, tossed his conviction. The court held that Rapp's actions were guarded as speech.
Free speech will guard you
Depending on the circumstance, most courts have determined that annoying outbursts about cars are considered free speech. That means the annoying things are protected by the constitution.
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 guarded 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.
Free speech to utilize lights
Some drivers flash lights to warn other drivers of cops up ahead. A Florida judge ruled earlier this year that doing so is free speech, according to AutoBlog, and law enforcement cannot ticket motorists for doing this. However, it has yet to be ruled on or tried in other states, so some motorists who engage in said activity can be targeted by law enforcement. As with any court case involving free speech, typically one has to go through several years of litigation before a ruling may or may not exonerate them.
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