A judge has temporarily blocked a new Tennessee House rule that prohibited spectators from holding signs in the gallery.
The ACLU filed the lawsuit Wednesday on behalf of three Tennesseans, including a woman who was removed from a subcommittee hearing for holding a sign that said “1 kid > all the guns.”
“When we’ve come to a point where you can’t hold up a sign? That’s not OK. That’s not democracy,” said Allison Polidor after she was moved out of the room.
Polidor began advocating for gun reform after the Covenant School shooting in March. She had hoped the special session would address Tennessee’s gun laws. Instead, she says lawmakers violated her First Amendment rights.
“I’m here for my kids, everybody’s kids here,” Polidor said. “Nobody should worry if their kids are going to come home from school or not.”
The judge issued the injunction against the rule hours after the lawsuit was filed, according to court records. The first court hearing is scheduled for Sept. 5, but the special session is expected to adjourn by the end of the week.
