{"id":2294919,"date":"2024-07-14T19:39:00","date_gmt":"2024-07-14T23:39:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/city-forced-to-pay-woman-over-31000-after-punishing-her-for-controversial-election-sign\/"},"modified":"2024-07-14T19:42:18","modified_gmt":"2024-07-14T23:42:18","slug":"city-forced-to-pay-woman-over-31000-after-punishing-her-for-controversial-election-sign","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/city-forced-to-pay-woman-over-31000-after-punishing-her-for-controversial-election-sign\/","title":{"rendered":"City Forced to Pay Woman Over $31,000 After Punishing Her for Controversial Election Sign"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">28<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fcity-forced-to-pay-woman-over-31000-after-punishing-her-for-controversial-election-sign%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2294919&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The\u200c city of Lakeland, Tennessee\u2062 fined a woman\u200b for displaying a controversial <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/million-maskless-march-and-mass-mask-burning-planned-in-florida\/\" title=\"\u2018Million Maskless March\u2019 And Mass Mask Burning Planned In Florida\">political sign<\/a> \u2062on her \u2062lawn, leading to a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/weve-identified-450000-ballots-that-miraculously-only-have-a-vote-for-joe-biden-sidney-powell-drops-a-bomb-on-sunday-morning-futures-video\/\" title=\"&quot;We&#039;ve Identified 450,000 Ballots that Miraculously ONLY have a Vote for Joe Biden&quot; - Sidney Powell Drops a BOMB on Sunday Morning Futures (Video)\">legal battle<\/a>. Julie Pereira had placed a sign reading &#8220;F*** Em\u2019 Both 2024&#8221; on her lawn as a message to both <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/its-happening-pennsylvania-state-legislature-files-resolution-disputes-statewide-2020-election-results\/\" title=\"It&#039;s Happening: Pennsylvania State Legislature Files Resolution -- DISPUTES STATEWIDE 2020 ELECTION RESULTS\">political parties<\/a>. The \u200ccity fined her for obscenity, leading \u200dPereira \u200bto take the city to court. A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/a-celebration-of-womanhood-transgender-competitor-wins-miss-nevada-usa\/\" title=\"A \u2018Celebration Of Womanhood\u2019: Transgender Competitor Wins Miss Nevada USA\">federal court ruled<\/a> in Pereira&#8217;s favor, declaring\u200c the city&#8217;s actions unconstitutional and ordering them\u200b to pay her $31,000 in damages \u2062and cover fines and costs. The ruling highlighted the importance of upholding \u200dfree speech rights, especially in the context of upcoming elections.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><br \/>\n<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\"> <?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><html><body><\/p>\n<header> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/news\/\">  News <\/a>  <\/p>\n<h2>Court Orders City to Pay Woman Over $31,000 After She Was Punished for Controversial Election Sign<\/h2>\n<p> <span> <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/author\/maustin\/\">  <\/a> <\/p>\n<p> <span>   By <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/author\/maustin\/%20\"><span>Michael Austin<\/span><\/a> <\/span> <span>   July 14, 2024 at 2:00pm <\/span> <\/span>  <\/header>\n<section>\n<p>The city of Lakeland, Tennessee, fined a woman for a political sign she placed on her lawn in the middle of January.<\/p>\n<p>Now, the city is the one paying her, to the tune of $31,000.<\/p>\n<p>When Julie Pereira first placed the sign on her lawn in the middle of January, she was trying to send a nonpartisan message to both major U.S. political parties: She didn\u2019t like their candidates, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wnem.com\/2024\/07\/09\/im-aware-my-constitutional-rights-city-ordered-pay-woman-over-31k-after-fining-her-controversial-yard-sign\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">WMC-TV<\/a> reported.<\/p>\n<p>The explicit sign read \u201cF*** Em\u2019 Both 2024.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In response, Lakeland officials claimed Pereira was breaking the law due to the sign\u2019s obscenity.<\/p>\n<p>According to the <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2024\/07\/06\/us-news\/tennessee-woman-wins-free-speech-suit-over-sign-dissing-biden-trump\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">New York Post<\/a>, the city argued that the sign violated city regulations prohibiting the display of\u00a0 \u201cstatements of an obscene, indecent, or immoral character, which would offend public morals or decency\u201d and \u201cstatements, words or pictures of an obscene nature.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The city then charged Pereira $50 for every day the sign was up.<\/p>\n<p>Pereira wasn\u2019t fazed by the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/102-year-old-man-wheelchair-ordered-clean-peoples-graffiti-face-punishing-fines\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">fines<\/a>, however, and decided to keep the sign up.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI am well aware of my constitutional and protected rights and that the City of Lakeland\u2019s sign ordinance contains several unconstitutional requirements and regulations,\u201d Pereira said, according to WMC-TV.<\/p>\n<p>Pereira chose to take the city to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/court-just-nailed-hillary-fec-violation-45x-bigger-trumps-130k-called-violation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">court<\/a>, and in turn, the city chose to file claims against her, though the later suit was dropped by the city in June.<\/p>\n<p>Then, in July, a federal court sided with Pereira.<\/p>\n<p>According to <a href=\"https:\/\/storage.courtlistener.com\/recap\/gov.uscourts.tnwd.102662\/gov.uscourts.tnwd.102662.19.1.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">the ruling<\/a>, the city had no right to impose on Pereira\u2019s rights given that the sign was not \u201cobscene\u201d as defined by standing legal precedent.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor these reasons, the Court DECLARES UNCONSTITUTIONAL the Defendants\u2019 enforcement action against the Plaintiff for displaying her unredacted political yard sign,\u201d the ruling said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Defendants are thus PERMANENTLY ENJOINED from taking any further enforcement action against the Plaintiff for displaying her unredacted political yard sign.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>To cover all of the fines and other costs caused by the city\u2019s fines, it was ordered to give Pereira $688.45.<\/p>\n<p>On top of that, the city must also pay the aforementioned $31,000 in damages.<\/p>\n<p>But it\u2019s not as if this was just one big payday for Pereira.<\/p>\n<p>According to the official ruling, the $31,000 in damages amounts to \u201creasonable attorney\u2019s fees\u201d and other costs.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<div>\n<p><b><i>A Note from Our Deputy Managing Editor:<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<p><i><span>I heard a chilling comment the other day: \u201cWe don\u2019t even know if an election will be held in 2024.\u201d <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>That wasn\u2019t said by a conspiracy theorist or a doomsday prophet. No, former U.S. national security advisor Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn said that to the founder of The Western Journal, Floyd Brown.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>Gen. Flynn\u2019s warning means that the 2024 election is the most important election for every single living American. If we lose this one to the wealthy elites who hate us, hate God, and hate what America stands for, we can only assume that 248 years of American history and the values we hold dear to our hearts may soon vanish.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>The end game is here, and as Benjamin Franklin said, \u201cWe must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>All of this means that <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/subscribe\/?utm_source=site&#038;utm_medium=westernjournalism&#038;utm_campaign=authorpitch\"><i><span>without you<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span>, it\u2019s over. We have the platform, the journalists, and the experience to fight back hard, but Big Tech is strangling us through advertising blacklists, shadow bans, and algorithms. Did you know that we\u2019ve been blacklisted by 90% of advertisers? Without direct support from you, our readers, we can\u2019t continue the fight.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>Can we count on <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/subscribe\/?utm_source=site&#038;utm_medium=westernjournalism&#038;utm_campaign=authorpitch\"><i><span>your support<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span>? It may not seem like much, but a <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/subscribe\/?utm_source=site&#038;utm_medium=westernjournalism&#038;utm_campaign=authorpitch\"><i><span>Western Journal Membership<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span>  can make all the difference in the world because when you support us directly, you cut Big Tech out of the picture. They lose control. <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>A monthly Western Journal Membership costs less than one coffee and breakfast sandwich each month, and it gets you access to ALL of our content \u2014 news, commentary, and premium articles. You\u2019ll experience a radically reduced number of ads, and most importantly you will be vitally supporting the fight for America\u2019s soul in 2024.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>We are literally counting on you because without our members, The Western Journal would cease to exist. Will you <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/subscribe\/?utm_source=site&#038;utm_medium=westernjournalism&#038;utm_campaign=authorpitch\"><i><span>join us<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span>  in the fight? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>Sincerely,<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>Josh Manning<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>Deputy Managing Editor<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>The Western Journal<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/body><\/html><br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A woman in Lakeland, Tennessee was fined for displaying a controversial political sign on her lawn, but after taking the city to court, she was awarded over $31,000 in damages. The sign, which read &#8220;F*** Em\u2019 Both 2024,&#8221; was deemed obscene by city officials, leading to fines of $50 per day. However, a federal court ruled in favor of the woman, stating that the sign did not meet the legal definition of obscenity. In addition to the damages, the city was ordered to pay the woman&#8217;s legal fees. The incident highlights the importance of protecting constitutional rights, especially in the lead-up to the 2024 election<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2093,"featured_media":2294920,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Tennessee-Free-Speech.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[5269,4803,35054,10848,3983],"class_list":["post-2294919","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-city","tag-controversial","tag-election-sign","tag-payment","tag-woman"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Tennessee-Free-Speech.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2294919","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2093"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2294919"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2294919\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2294920"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2294919"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2294919"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2294919"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}