TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Azya Thornton on Dec 10, 2025

The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) has filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of a Tennessee public employee who claims she was unlawfully fired from her state government job for criticizing Charlie Kirk in a Facebook comment following his assassination. Monica Meeks was dismissed from her role at the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance even though her Facebook profile did not link her to the job, ABC 3340 reports. The lawsuit names Tennessee Commissioner of Commerce and Insurance Carter Lawrence and argues that Meeks’ First Amendment rights were violated given that her post did not disrupt government functions. Other state and university employees have reported being terminated for comments about Kirk.