This story is out of Trumbull County, Ohio, and it's one of those stories that the sheriff would've loved to remain local, but with today's media that was impossible.
Meet Commissioner Niki Frenchko.
Niki is the lone Republican on a board of three, and she's really not about keeping her mouth shut and letting business as usual remain business as usual. She's had some things to say about Trumbull County, but her colleagues have not always been impressed with them.
Take this for example: Back in 2022, an inmate had died at the Trumbull County jail. Instead of ignoring the problem, Frenchko took it upon herself to make things right. During a committee meeting, Frenchko began reading from a letter written by the deceased inmate's mother, which claimed that he had not received adequate healthcare while locked up.
Here's what happened once she had said enough to make the sheriff uncomfortable. The attendees bickered back and forth for a while, and then:
They flippin' arrested her!!!
For calling them out!!!
Crazy times, dude. Crazy times.
Luckily, we still have courts in this country.
In a ruling filed Wednesday, federal Judge J. Philip Calabrese determined Frenchko's arrest violated the First Amendment and qualified immunity did not apply to those named in her lawsuit, meaning they could be sued for monetary damages.
"Here in America, we do not arrest our political opponents," Calabrese wrote. "This case tests that longstanding norm as well as our Constitution's robust protections for free speech that allow us to criticize our representatives and public officials" …
Calabrese ruled that Frenchko's speech is protected under the First Amendment, noting that as a commissioner she has a right to speak on government matters at a commissioner's meeting.
"Without question, the disruption that led to Commissioner Frenchko's removal and arrest was her speech itself. And not just any speech. The speech of an elected official, delivered at a public meeting, addressing a matter of public concern. Speech that communicated a message disfavored by those in power. Speech highly critical of another elected official," Calabrese wrote.
Man, I love this country!
Free speech!!
Sure, Commissioner Frenchko was treated badly, and it was unfair, but boy, oh boy is she going to make these men pay for their tyranny.
You love to see it!
How about a huge round of applause for Niki Frenchko. She's a local, and now national, hero!
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