Eric Blanchard who served at various police departments including the Portland Police, the Sinton Police, and the Mathis Police, was recently sued by Jason Followell. According to the reports, the lawsuit involving Chief Eric Blanchard is for the alleged violation of the First Amendment rights of a citizen who is identified as Jason Followell. Chief Eric Blanchard of Aransas Pass and other officials have been sued by a citizen named Jason Followell after the incidents during city council meetings for the public decorum rules. The legal dispute between Eric Blanchard and Jason Followell began in January this year when both were removed from the city council meeting as they used inappropriate language, violating the First Amendment rights and council’s rules. This legal dispute has drawn significant attention and become a major talking point among people. However, we have got you covered in this article. We suggest you follow this article to the end. Drag down the page.
Jason Followell through his lawyer CJ Grisham sued Eric Blanchard and other officials over the violation of the First Amendment. Reportedly, the legal dispute started when both were removed from the city council meeting in January this year for using inappropriate language. It is said that Jason Followell verbally abused Eric Blanchard in front of everyone at the meeting by saying “Cheif Blanchard, you piece of sh*t!”. For the unversed citizen Jason Followell who was removed from the meeting for using foul language, had been the regular attendee of the city council meetings. Jason used his platform to challenge what he perceived as mismanagement and corruption in the administration of the city.
A video clip of Jason Followell from the city council meeting also has gone viral, in which he stood firm when accused of disrespect. He argued that the use of language was not the primary reason for his arrest because it was protected by the First Amendment. Followell’s attorney Grisham argued on his behalf that swear words do not provide probable cause of arrest. He further argued that his client’s expressed opinions like calling officials dictators were protected by the First Amendment. Meanwhile, the situation was fragile when Mayor Ram Gomez told Eric Blanchard to remove Jason Followell’s lawyer Grisham.
Meanwhile, Chief Eric Blanchard said to Grisham “Stop talking and just sue me” which only led to the lawsuit against him. After two months, Jason Followell filed a civil lawsuit against Eric Blanchard and other officials of the city for allegedly violating the 1st and 14th Amendments and the Texas Constitution. In the lawsuit, Followell and his attorney Grisham asserted that Eric Blanchard and other city officials suppressed their right to speech freedom through various means such as issuing a criminal trespass warning and implementing restrictive rules that refrained criticism of the officials of the city. This legal case eventually shed light on issues like how to keep order in meetings and protecting the rights to free speech of citizens particularly while criticizing the officials. Continue reading this article for more details.
Followell and his lawyer Grisham demanded a declaration from the city that its rules were unconstitutional, monetary damages for the violation of their rights, and an ultimatum to stop the enforcement of those rules. This case is focused on protecting constitutional rights and the potential misuse of power by city officials, it has gained significant attention among the people. Eric Blanchard is currently under scrutiny for enforcing these controversial rules and using legal measures to silence critics. Stay tuned to this website for more details and further updates.