Pro-life advocate Zack Knotts was arrested for using a megaphone outside an abortion clinic while clinic escorts using similar devices to drown out his speech faced no consequences, sparking a federal lawsuit challenging unconstitutional restrictions on free speech.
Key Takeaways
- The American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) has filed a federal lawsuit challenging a Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio city ordinance after pro-life advocate Zack Knotts was arrested for using a megaphone during a peaceful protest.
- Abortion clinic escorts using similar sound devices faced no consequences, demonstrating clear viewpoint discrimination in the enforcement of local noise ordinances.
- Criminal charges against the Knotts family were dismissed during trial, but the lawsuit seeks to prevent future enforcement of the unconstitutional ordinance.
- The ordinance is being challenged on grounds of First Amendment violations, unconstitutional vagueness, and viewpoint discrimination against religious and pro-life speech.
- The case highlights growing government overreach and discrimination against conservative and religious viewpoints across America.
Biased Enforcement Targeting Pro-Life Speech
The Knotts family’s experience in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio represents a troubling example of how local governments increasingly discriminate against conservative and religious speech. While peacefully advocating for the unborn outside an abortion clinic, Zack Knotts was singled out for arrest simply for using a megaphone that was demonstrably quieter than the ambient noise in the area. Meanwhile, abortion clinic escorts freely used similar sound amplification devices to drown out his message and even made threatening statements without facing any legal consequences.
“The First Amendment doesn’t guarantee freedom from annoyance or inconvenience – it guarantees freedom of speech, especially for unpopular viewpoints that challenge the status quo. When government officials start deciding which messages deserve protection based on their own preferences, we’re all at risk,” according to The American Center, for Law and Justice.
The arrest was particularly egregious given that it was based solely on a complaint that mentioned only pro-life speech. The investigating officers never witnessed Knotts using the megaphone themselves. When Knotts pointed out that clinic escorts were using similar sound devices, one officer remarked it was “not a crime” for them to do so – a clear admission of the double standard being applied. This discriminatory enforcement reveals a two-tiered system of justice where conservative and religious speech receives less protection than progressive viewpoints.
Constitutional Challenges to the City Ordinance
The ACLJ’s federal lawsuit targets multiple constitutional deficiencies in the Cuyahoga Falls noise ordinance. The ordinance contains vague language that gives police excessive discretion in determining what constitutes a violation, creating a system ripe for abuse. More troubling are the built-in exemptions that favor certain organizations and viewpoints while penalizing others. This selective enforcement violates the fundamental principle that the government cannot discriminate against speech based on its content or viewpoint.
“The arrest, prosecution, and ongoing threat of future enforcement have already achieved the government’s apparent goal: silencing disfavored speech.” stated the ACLJ Legal Team.
Although the criminal charges against the Knotts family were eventually dismissed during trial, the damage had already been done. The threat of future enforcement continues to cast a chilling effect on their constitutionally protected advocacy. The ACLJ lawsuit seeks a formal declaration that the ordinance is unconstitutional, an injunction against future enforcement, compensation for the violation of the family’s rights, the return of Zack’s confiscated megaphone, and attorney’s fees to hold the city accountable for its unconstitutional actions.
Part of a Broader Attack on Conservative Speech
The harassment faced by the Knotts family is not an isolated incident but part of a systematic effort to silence conservative and religious voices across America. From college campuses to public sidewalks, those expressing traditional values or pro-life viewpoints increasingly face governmental restrictions not applied to progressive causes. The Supreme Court has consistently ruled that content-based restrictions on speech are presumptively unconstitutional, yet local governments continue to implement and selectively enforce ordinances that target disfavored viewpoints.
“This case is part of a larger assault on religious freedom and pro-life speech across America. From college campuses to city sidewalks, government officials are increasingly willing to silence religious viewpoints while protecting secular ones,” stated the ACLJ.
What makes this case particularly disturbing is the blatant hostility shown toward the Knotts family by both the abortion clinic escorts and law enforcement. Clinic escorts not only used sound devices to drown out pro-life speech but also made explicit threats, reportedly telling Zack to “suck-start a shotgun” and responding to his concern for women’s safety with “we can fix that.” Despite these threatening statements, police took no action against the escorts while targeting the peaceful pro-life advocates. This one-sided enforcement reveals the growing bias against conservative speech in public spaces.
