United States of America

Tennessee Pays $835K Over Facebook Meme Jailing

Was jailing a man over a Trump meme a blatant First Amendment violation or a justified response to a community safety threat?

Published MAY 20

Tennessee Pays $835K Over Facebook Meme Jailing

Story

Above: Residents of Lemont, Illinois to pay tribute to Charlie Kirk during a vigil on Sept. 11, 2025. Image credit: Jacek Boczarski/Anadolu/Getty Images

The Facts

Tennessee officials reached an agreement on Wednesday to settle a lawsuit brought by Larry Bushart, a retired law enforcement officer who spent 37 days in jail after posting a Facebook meme in September 2025 following the assassination of Charlie Kirk.
Latestly
ABC News
The meme in question — which Bushart posted in response to a Charlie Kirk vigil — quoted U.S. President Donald Trump's remarks after a January 2024 school shooting in Perry, Iowa, "We have to get over it," with added text stating, "This seems relevant today…."
FIRE
The post prompted Lexington Police Department officers, allegedly at the behest of Perry County Sheriff Nick Weem, to arrest Bushart, who was charged with violating Tenn. Code Ann. § 39-16-517 for supposedly threatening mass violence on school property or at a school-related activity. The authorities subsequently set his bond at $2 million.
FIRE
Defending the charge, Weem told The Tennessean that Bushart made the post "to indicate or make the audience think it was referencing our Perry High School" and cause hysteria. However, he later admitted to NewsChannel5 that he "knew" Bushart was not referring to the local school.
The Tennessean
NewsChannel5
Following his release, Bushart filed a federal lawsuit against Weem, the county and investigator Jason Morrow in December, alleging that the ordeal had cost him his post-retirement job and caused him to miss both his wedding anniversary and the birth of his granddaughter.
FIRE
The case had been set to go before a federal jury in Memphis in July. Under the settlement, however, Bushart agreed to release all claims against the defendants, who admitted no wrongdoing. In return, Perry County's insurer, the Local Government Property and Casualty Fund, agreed to pay Bushart $835,000.
FIRE
CNN

Sources Split

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CENTER

RIGHT

ESTAB
CRIT

CENTER

PRO
ESTAB

The Spin

Narrative A

Bushart's 37-day jailing was an absurd, indefensible violation of the First Amendment. Despite knowing it did not reference Tennessee, authorities deliberately omitted that context from the arrest warrant. When officials weaponize the law to punish political speech, the freedoms of all are put at risk, which is why Bushart's lawsuit and subsequent settlement were so essential.

Intercept

FIRE

Narrative B

Bushart's post was not just some innocent trolling on a Perry County community page. Instead, it was a deliberate attempt to sow genuine fear and hysteria among Tennessee parents about their children's safety. Given these circumstances, Sheriff Weem had a legal duty to act when community members believed their local school was in possibly mortal danger.

NewsChannel5