A judge ordered the city of Lakeland, Tennessee, to pay a resident more than $31,000 in connection with a contentious political sign displayed in her yard. The sign read, “F— ‘EM BOTH 2024,” signaling that the resident, Julie Pereira, does not support President Joe Biden or former President Donald Trump.
“I’m just trying to exercise my First Amendment rights,” Pereira said in an interview with WREG News. “It’s a political year. A lot of people are not super happy with the candidates, and we can express those in, you know, whatever way we see fit.”
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Pereira placed the sign in her yard in January. Within days, the city of Lakeland sent her a letter, asserting that the sign violated the city’s sign ordinance due to its “indecent or immoral character” that could offend public morals or decency.
Initially, the city requested that Pereira remove the sign. In response, she redacted a letter from the curse word and kept the sign in her yard. She then allowed the obscenity to be displayed, once again. Her decision sparked an exchange between Pereira and the city of Lakeland.
The city of Lakeland began imposing daily fines of $50, resulting in a total cost of $688.
Pereira filed a lawsuit, arguing that the fines violated her First Amendment right to freedom of speech. She lost the first legal battle when the judge ruled that the speech was not protected.
However, Pereira appealed the ruling, and on July 3, U.S. District Court Judge Mark Norris declared the city’s actions against her unconstitutional. As a result, Pereira can keep the un-redacted sign in her yard.
The city is also barred from taking any further action against Pereira regarding this matter. In addition to paying the fines, the city must cover her legal fees and provide her with $1 in damages.
