Mall of America security officers confronted a self-professed street preacher wearing a Jesus Saves T-shirt and told him to remove the shirt or leave. A bystander recorded the incident and shared the video on social media, where it has been viewed millions of times. The predictable outrage is sparking plans for a big Jesus Goes to the Mall rally. The mall, the nation’s largest, said the man was not forced to leave and had been warned before not to solicit shoppers with religious messages.
Today, I will walk you through how the courts have viewed free speech rights in malls. Justices initially said malls are more like cities and should be open to free speech. But more recent rulings have said malls are businesses and can restrict demonstrations and protests. However, some states see things differently.
Let’s get beyond the inflammatory headlines and explore the limits of free expression.
The U.S. government will reach its debt limit tomorrow, which is a big deal. There are some maneuvers the government can and will make to swerve around the issue for a while. But sometime around June, we will hit the wall for real. With a divided Congress, a real mess could await, including the federal government defaulting on its debt. Let me explain what the debt ceiling is and why you should keep an eye on what experts call “X Date.”
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