Riverview Retaliation Letter

James Carroll, an Illinois man, wrote a joke on the website Nextdoor poking fun at Riverview, Missouri Mayor Michael Cornell. Days later, James found not one, but two subpoenas on his door. The city of Riverview demanded James testify about vague allegations including cyberbullying and defamation—accusations that appear to be in direct response to his post.

Rather than comply with Riverview’s illegal subpoena, James filed a lawsuit to quash the subpoena. The First Amendment prohibits the government from retaliating against people for protected speech. That includes jokes, satire, and criticism of public officials—even if those officials don’t like what’s being said. In a nearly identical case, IJ represented a Louisiana man who was arrested by a SWAT team for writing a joke on Facebook about his local sheriff’s office. The U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals held that jokes are fully protected by the Constitution.

That’s why the Institute for Justice sent a letter demanding that Riverview rescind its illegal subpoena and stop all retaliatory actions against James. Americans have the right to speak freely about their elected officials, especially when holding them accountable. If towns like Riverview are allowed to punish their critics with bogus legal threats, no one’s speech is truly safe.