A First Amendment lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Eastern Missouri on behalf of Brian Becker against the city of Poplar Bluff was settled on March 14, 2013. The City of Poplar Bluff has agreed to drop all investigations against Becker for distributing leaflets and not replace the unconstitutional ordinance, which forbids the placement of handbills on vehicles without a permit and advance written consent of the vehicle owners; the ordinance was repealed shortly after the ACLU brought suit.
Becker was opposed to a local $20 million bond initiative for sewer upgrades and last November had used handbills to spread his message. “No one should ever fear arrest or fines for expressing their opinions in ways that are protected by the First Amendment,” says Tony Rothert, legal director for the ACLU-EM.
