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Did the U.S. Supreme Court make it harder to mass protest in Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi?
Technically, no, at least not directly.
On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear the case of Mckesson v. Doe, after the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that protest organizers could be held financially responsible for any illegal acts one single attendee commits.
Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote a brief statement that although the court declined to hear the case, its decision expressed no view on the merits of the First Amendment arguments, according to an ACLU statement on its website.
It all stems from the case involving DeRay Mckesson, a prominent figure in the Black Lives Matter movement who organized a protest near a Baton Rouge, La., police station in 2016, following the police shooting of Alton Sterling, a 37-year-old Black man shot and killed by two police officers. During the protest, a police officer was severely injured when a protester threw a projectile.
The officer sued McKesson for damages. Mckesson argued that the officer's lawsuit violated his First Amendment rights since he didn't explicitly encourage violence. Yet, the Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, with jurisdiction over Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi, allowed the lawsuit. McKesson appealed to the Supreme Court.
With this week's Supreme Court decision, several media outlets quickly spread news that the court made it harder to mass protest or abolish the right altogether. The First Amendment still protects the right to assembly, but the Court's decision not to hear the case could open the door for more people to sue protest organizers in the future.
A fear of lawsuits could be enough to prevent a protest from happening.
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 | Joy Sewing, Columnist |
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Photo by: Steph Chambers/Getty Images
J.J. Watt visited this Houston restaurant 6 times in 3 days
We know Houston has the best food scene in the nation and some of the most incredible restaurants. But when former Houston Texans J.J. Watt gave a shout out to local restaurant Island Grill on social media this week, it was a reminder that our diverse fare has something for everyone, even J.J., as Chronicle reporter Shakari Briggs writes.
The American Mediterranean inspired restaurant opened in 2000 and now has five across Houston.
"J.J. Watt has supported us for over a decade and we cannot say enough how much of a grade A athlete and person he is," wrote the owners on Instagram. "He continously shows us support on his large and selective personal platform. That is a huge deal. We are so grateful for you and we're glad we could feed you like family."
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