Dear John,

The First Amendment guarantees that all Americans have the right to express their point of view, religious or secular, on a public sidewalk.

Yet, that’s not the case in Brandon, Mississippi.

Gabriel Olivier is an evangelical Christian who shares his faith with others while standing outside of well-attended events on a public sidewalk in a public park.

To silence Gabriel, the City of Brandon passed an unconstitutional ordinance that Iimits him and others from communicating their religious beliefs in a city park.

You see, the city’s ordinance requires Gabriel to stand on a particular section of sidewalk far away from park visitors. And when he left the specified area, he was arrested.

After paying a fine for violating the ordinance, Gabriel filed a lawsuit to challenge the constitutionality of the law.

But because he paid a fine, Gabriel’s lawsuit was dismissed by both a federal district court and the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals without even considering the merits of his case.

The reason? Both courts said that the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Heck v. Humphrey, which specifically applies to prisoners, prevents him from pursuing a claim that his civil rights were violated by the city ordinance.

Watch First Liberty attorney Nate Kellum further explain this case and dive deeper into the reasons the Supreme Court should take it up:

The free exercise and free speech clauses in the Constitution doubly protect our rights to share our faith on a public sidewalk, even in Brandon, Mississippi.

City ordinances do not trump the Constitution.

The truth is that no American should face criminal charges for sharing their faith in a public space.

That’s why we’re asking the Supreme Court to provide Gabriel the opportunity to challenge the ordinance’s constitutionality.

Will you join us in the fight to protect Gabriel’s constitutional rights?

We can’t allow cities like Brandon to legislate expressions of faith out of public spaces.

Your best gift will give our expert attorneys the resources they need to make our argument before the Supreme Court and win back Gabriel’s opportunity to challenge the ordinance.

Yes, I will make a gift today >>