/ Residents can now only comment at county meetings in person, at the Government Center in Traverse City.
When Grand Traverse County Commissioner Ron Clous flashed his rifle while a resident spoke at an online public meeting, it caused an outcry in the community.
Now the resident, Patricia MacIntosh, is
suing the county and Commissioner Clous in federal court. She argues Clous threatened her, and now she’s too intimidated to speak at subsequent county government meetings. She says that violates her First Amendment rights.
During the meeting, held weeks after the U.S. Capitol insurrection in January, MacIntosh criticized a decision to make the county a
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What happened at the end of Your Honor?
At the end of season one, judge Michael Desiato s task to cover up his son Adam s hit and run, which killed the son of local gangster, Jimmy Baxter, came to a head. Various people in Michael s life soon found out about the fatal accident including detective Nancy Costello and Jimmy Baxter himself, who up until the season finale, thought Michael was the one behind the wheel that killed his son, Rocco.
Carlo Baxter (Rocco s older brother) was found not guilty of murdering Kofi Jones, who took the fall for Rocco s death, thanks to Michael s interference in the trial to keep Jimmy on side. This then sparked a quest of revenge from Kofi s younger brother Eugene who went and bought a gun with the intention of shooting Carlo.
So, does the fear of losing money in a lawsuit dictate what news organizations will report and what they won’t?
No. As a former journalist and now scholar and practitioner of media law, I believe there are enough safeguards built into First Amendment jurisprudence to shut down liars and still protect robust debate of opposing viewpoints in America.
‘Steep hill to climb’
In a landmark First Amendment case almost 60 years ago, New York Times v. Sullivan, the U.S. Supreme Court decided that in the rush to gather and disseminate news, it is understandable that a news reporter may miss an important fact or interpret something wrong. Because preserving a free and robust exchange of ideas is vital to democracy, the court said it is worth the risk that some falsehoods may mistakenly be printed, and the press shouldn’t be punished for it.