TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Azya Thornton on Dec 17, 2025

Former police officer Larry Bushart has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against Perry County and its sheriff, alleging his constitutional rights were violated in retaliation for protected speech. Bushart spent 37 days in jail after sharing a meme following the assassination of political commentator Charlie Kirk. According to WBBJ-TV, Bushart was arrested in September and held on a $2 million bond after Perry County Sheriff Nick Weems claimed the meme amounted to a threat of mass violence, an allegation Bushart and his attorneys, with the assistance of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, dispute. Other lawsuits have also been filed involving state and university employees who say they were terminated for comments related to Kirk.