During the Tennessee General Assembly’s special session in August of 2023, the Tennessee House of Representatives passed a rule banning all signs in the galleries of the House.
The ACLU of Tennessee filed a lawsuit on behalf of Allison Polidor, Erica Bowton, and Maryam Abolfazli, who were forced to leave a House subcommittee meeting by state troopers for quietly holding 8 ½ x 11 inch pieces of paper expressing their opinions on issues before the subcommittee.
A Davidson County judge blocked the enforcement of the Tennessee House of Representatives’ rule for the special session that bans signs in the galleries of the House. In its ruling, the court found that the “sign ban is patently unreasonable” and “so broad that it encompasses behavior that is not disruptive, as is the case here.”
The court’s ruling recognized that the sign ban denied the plaintiffs their constitutional rights to speak freely, assemble, and petition the government under the U.S. and Tennessee Constitutions.
PLAINTIFF(S):
Allison Polidor, Erica Bowton, and Maryam Abolfazli
DEFENDANT(S):
Speaker of the Tennessee House of Representatives Cameron Sexton
Chief Clerk of the House of Representatives Tammy Letzler
Sergeant of Arms Bobby Trotter
Colonel of the Tennessee Highway Patrol Matt Perry
ATTORNEY(S):
ACLU-TN: Stella Yarbrough, Lucas Cameron-Vaughn, Jeff Preptit
