BOSSIER CITY, La. (KTAL/KMSS) – A federal lawsuit has been filed against Bossier City officials alleging numerous First Amendment violations amid the ongoing fight over term limits.
The lawsuit alleges city officials, including three Council members and the City Attorney, suppressed free speech rights during public meetings and met in secret to limit public participation in Council Meetings.
Bossier Parish resident and sobo.live editor Weston “Wes” Merriot filed the lawsuit in the U.S. District Court, Western District of Louisiana.
City Councilmembers Jeffery Darby, Jeffrey Free, David Montgomery, and City Attorney Charles Jacobs are named as defendants in the lawsuit.
“A healthy democracy embraces criticism, welcomes questions, and values dissent. The First Amendment isn’t just a right; it’s a promise to the American people that their
voices will always matter in government decisions.” says Merriott.
Prior to Merriot filing the lawsuit, the City of Bossier City filed a lawsuit in late September against the Bossier Parish Registrar, Stephanie Agee, and David Crockett in his capacity as representative of the Bossier Terms Limit.
The city’s lawsuit alleges that the petition submitted by the Bossier Term Limits Coalition did not include any of the signers’ year of birth, as required by the Louisiana Election Code, and therefore should not have been certified.
The council requested an opinion from the Office of the Louisiana Attorney General in August but were denied.
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