Tennessee man jailed over Charlie Kirk post wins $835,000 settlement

Larry Bushart was jailed for 37 days over a Facebook post after the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk Tennessee officials will pay $835,000 to settle a lawsuit filed by a man who was jailed for more than a month over a Facebook post he made about the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. While many people across the US lost their jobs over social media comments about Kirk’s death, Larry Bushart’s case stood out as a rare instance in which such online speech led to criminal prosecution. The 61-year-old retired police officer spent 37 days behind bars before authorities dropped the felony charge against him in October. During his time in jail, Bushart lost his post-retirement job and missed his wedding anniversary and the birth of his granddaughter, according to a federal lawsuit Bushart filed in December against Tennessee’s Perry county, its sheriff and the investigator who obtained the arrest warrant. “I am pleased my first amendment rights [to free speech] have been vindicated,” Bushart said in a statement announcing the settlement on Wednesday. “The people’s freedom to participate in civil discourse is crucial to a healthy democracy. I am looking

May 20, 2026 → May 20, 2026