Tennessee man jailed over Charlie Kirk post wins $835,000 settlement

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP

By R.J. RICO
Updated 8:01 AM CDT, May 20, 2026
Leer en español

Tennessee officials will pay $835,000 to settle a lawsuit filed by a man who was jailed for more than a month over a Facebook post he made about the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

While many people across the U.S. lost their jobs over social media comments about Kirk’s death, Larry Bushart’s case stood out as a rare instance in which such online speech led to criminal prosecution. The 61-year-old retired police officer spent 37 days behind bars before authorities dropped the felony charge against him in October.

During his time in jail, Bushart lost his postretirement job and missed his wedding anniversary and the birth of his granddaughter, according to a federal lawsuit Bushart filed in December against Perry County, its sheriff and the investigator who obtained the arrest warrant.

“I am pleased my First Amendment rights have been vindicated,” Bushart said in a statement announcing the settlement Wednesday. “The people’s freedom to participate in civil discourse is crucial to a healthy democracy. I am looking forward to moving on and spending time with my family.”


Read more: https://apnews.com/article/charlie-kirk-facebook-arrest-tennessee-bushart-b8c5808d77f47a2d93497d12cf0daf84

[UpInArms]

1. Good for him

What they did was a travesty… I guess the MAGAts just don’t understand the constitution and bill of rights

[Walleye]

6. They think that only people who suck up to Trump have any rights at all

[blue-wave]

25. They never did understand and/or cared

that every American has the same rights. They want to be the overlords for the masses. I'm surprised this guy is getting justice in Tennessee of all places.

[Quiet Em]

2. Good. I cannot believe that put him in jail over this

The meme Bushart posted that prompted his arrest read: “This seems relevant today...” and featured President Donald Trump and the words, “We have to get over it.” That quote, the meme explained, was said by Trump in 2024 after a school shooting at Iowa’s Perry High School.

https://apnews.com/article/charlie-kirk-facebook-arrest-tennessee-bushart-b8c5808d77f47a2d93497d12cf0daf84

[RazorbackExpat]

8. Remember when they put some guy in Montana in jail

over his comment about a "burning Bush", which was a reference to a famous Bible story, when George the Lesser was occupying the White House?

[Quiet Em]

9. I don't remember but

geez

[twodogsbarking]

3. Maybe now he can "get over it".

[Walleye]

4. Well, we can't expect the legislators in Tennessee to know anything about the constitution.

They are still fighting a Civil War against it. World War III shouldn’t scare us as much as Civil War II

[Attilatheblond]

5. So, his 'crime' was posting a meme on FB that held a mirror up to Trump telling us to 'get over' school shootings?

That is Snowflake taken to subversion of First Amendment by local authorities. Glad they have to pay up.

[Blues Heron]

7. Talk about lawfare!

[mwmisses4289]

10. Good.

Now that he has set the example, maybe all the others who were harassed, fired, jailed or otherwise had their first amendment rights trampled over their ck comments will follow suit.

[OGBuzz]

12. And now we have a $1,776,000,000 fund for the victims of Trump's lawfare.

Every federal worker dismissed by Musk's DOUCHE Gang should be making a claim immediately. And when "1776" runs out, Elmo is worth $850,000,000,000.

[Justice matters.]

19. Why go through all the hustles to file claims: They would never get a penny.

They did not commit crimes for the mob boss, and most importantly, they WILL not in the future.

[AllaN01Bear]

11. ""

[Statelawdog]

13. Where was the district attorney?

The district attorney should have interceded in this case within hours not weeks. Their inaction to stop this obvious violation of civil rights borders on being unethical. The shame is that the individual officers are not being held personally responsible for the money damages. Either an insurance company or the taxpayers are on the hook. Not the individuals responsible.

[BaronChocula]

18. Conservatives and maga-types tend to have a blindspot

when it comes to accountability among their own. It's part of why red states come in dead last on so many things.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

28. The judge is the real culprit here.

[fujiyamasan]

14. I hope Perry county goes bankrupt over this

[The Grand Illuminist]

24. If gone to trial, then yes.

It was an open and shut case for the plaintiff.

[Pompoy]

15. They pretended that he was threatening a school shooting.

They made stuff up.

[ColoringFool]

16. They would have had to.

[58Sunliner]

17. I'm grateful he was vindicated. Scary that he was charged and held.

[erronis]

20. It ain't the "Tennessee officials" who will pay the $835,000". It is the Tennessee taxpayers.

And only the taxpayers who actually pay taxes. Not the rich ones who can get out of them.

[dalton99a]

22. +1

[orleans]

21. if he lives in perry county i hope he moves the fuck out

so he doesn't end up paying taxes that will be paying his settlement.

and i hope all those kirk obsessives / magats are thrilled as shit and think it's totally worth it to be paying that settlement out of their own pockets. ha. ha.

[The Grand Illuminist]

27. He has to pay taxes on settlement.

If he stayed the course, he would have had a lot more, plus taxes taken out, legal documentation of liability and accountability.

[The Grand Illuminist]

23. He got bought out.

Settlement was done to protect accountability.

[OldBaldy1701E]

29. Exactly.

Until there are some firings/impeachments, as well as some jail time for those who actively did this...

Well, there is no justice in Perry County.

Which, some of us already knew.

(Our old pickup was from Perry County. It had a Perry County plate on it when we got it. The owners lived there at the time. They moved soon after... of course...)

[Grins]

26. It should have been more than $850,000. NM

[RVN VET71]

30. Agree, and the buttholes responsible -- all of them -- should be jailed for at least 37 days. At least!

I would also like to see those yokels fined whatever the law allows and never be allowed to work for any government agency or contractor again. Christian-Nationalists should be given no quarter in meting out their punishment.

[Martin68]

31. Now THAT is true justice!

[LetMyPeopleVote]

32. Deadline Legal Blog-Man jailed 37 days for Charlie Kirk social media post wins $835,000 settlement

“In America, we do not jail people for political speech,” retired officer Larry Bushart said in his complaint against Tennessee law enforcement.

Man jailed 37 days for Charlie Kirk social media post wins 5,000 settlement - MS NOW apple.news/Al57T18aHRZO...

— (@oc88.bsky.social) 2026-05-20T18:47:48.675Z

https://www.ms.now/deadline-white-house/deadline-legal-blog/larry-bushart-jailed-charlie-kirk-social-media-post-settlement

It’s hard to call the transparently corrupt conclusion of President Donald Trump’s shakedown lawsuit against the IRS a “settlement,” because that would imply opposing parties had reached a real agreement, as opposed to Trump using the power of the presidency to loot our tax coffers.

News of a more traditional settlement came Wednesday in an unrelated case with a tangential Trump connection, stemming from one of the lawsuits filed by people punished for their speech in the wake of conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s assassination last year.

The $835,000 settlement came in a case brought by Larry Bushart. He sued Tennessee law enforcement officials who arrested him over a social media post following Kirk’s killing. Bushart, a retired law enforcement officer himself, was jailed for 37 days before his baseless charge was dropped.....

“It is clearly established that the First Amendment prohibits government officials from arresting people for protected political speech,” Bushart’s lawyers wrote in his complaint alleging violations of the First and Fourth Amendments against Perry County, Weems and Morrow. The complaint said he filed the suit to “vindicate his constitutional rights and to deter Sheriff Weems, Investigator Morrow, and similarly situated officials from future misconduct.”

A joint statement accompanying the settlement said that “Without admitting fault or liability on the part of the defendants, Perry County’s insurer has agreed to pay Mr. Bushart $835,000 in exchange for dismissing his complaint.”....

Bushart said he’s “pleased my First Amendment rights have been vindicated” and that “The people’s freedom to participate in civil discourse is crucial to a healthy democracy. I am looking forward to moving on and spending time with my family.”

Charlie Kirk was NOT a saint and criticism of Kirk is allowed under the First Amendment. This sheriff who made this arrest is an idiot.