SCOTUS Strangles Protest Rights in 3 Southern States by Refusing to Hear Case
The Supreme Court on Monday dealt a stunning blow to protest rights in Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi on Monday when it declined to hear Mckesson v. Doe, leaving in place a fifth circuit appeals court’s ruling that allows protest organizers to be held liable for violence caused by any single person who shows up to a mass protest.
Mckesson arose when a Baton Rouge police officer, identified only as “John Doe,” sued Black Lives Matter organizer DeRay Mckesson in 2016. Mckesson had organized a local protest after the fatal shooting of Alton Sterling by police, which turned violent when one protester threw a rock at the officer. Doe was struck in the face and suffered “injuries to his teeth, jaw, brain, and head,” according to the complaint.
Mckesson did not throw the rock—that detail is uncontested. But Doe sued him anyway because he was “in charge of the protest” and was “seen and heard giving orders” to protesters throughout the day and night, according to the court filings. Doe sued Mckesson for allegedly inciting violence through his words and actions.