Dear John,
There’s nothing free about a free speech zone. Gabriel Olivier found that out the hard way.
Gabriel, a strong believer in sharing his faith with others, routinely stood on a public sidewalk outside Brandon, Mississippi’s amphitheater hoping to have peaceful conversations with others.
To put a stop to this, the City of Brandon adopted an unconstitutional ordinance that prohibits religious speech on that public sidewalk.
The ordinace forces people like Gabriel to stand in a free speech zone located far away from the amphitheater.
When Gabriel left the free speech zone to get closer to the amphitheater, he was arrested and fined.
And when he challenged the city ordinance in district court, the court incorrectly applied a legal precedent from Heck v. Humphrey to dismiss his constitutional claim. Further, the federal judge took this action without even considering the merits of his case.
Thankfully, the Supreme Court has chosen to take a closer look at Gabriel’s case.
Watch First Liberty volunteer attorney Allyson Ho, who will be arguing this case before the justices, discuss the Heck decision, why the justices took this case and what she does to prepare for oral argument at the Supreme Court.

Every American has the First Amendment right to free speech; and every American has a right to their day in court.
As Allyson explained, Gabriel was denied both these rights.
However for him to challenge the city ordinance and reclaim his right to free speech, Gabriel must be allowed to have his day in court.
That’s just what we’re asking the Supreme Court to do.
But to make the best argument before the Court, we need your help to make sure Allyson and our expert legal team have the resources needed to properly prepare for the upcoming Supreme Court oral argument.
Will you stand with us on the frontlines of this fight?
Together, we can win a huge victory for religious freedom that could impact all Americans for generations.
Yes, I’ll make a gift today »
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