Colorado officials face potential legal action after forcing pro-lifer to leave Senate gallery
A free speech advocacy group has threatened to sue Colorado Capitol officials over an incident last year when they removed someone from the gallery because he was wearing a pro-life sweatshirt.
The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) sent a complaint letter on Tuesday to officials over the alleged mistreatment of Jeffrey Hunt.
At issue was an incident on March 21, 2023, when Hunt was forcibly removed from the Senate gallery for wearing a Colorado Christian University shirt that read “Pro-Life U,” a nickname of the private academic institution.
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The letter was addressed to Stephen Rosenthal, House Chief Sergeant-At-Arms; Frank Lombardi, Senate Chief Sergeant-At-Arms; and Benjamin Trujillo, Senate Sergeant-At-Arms.
“The Capitol Gallery Rule’s ban on ‘political’ pins and apparel violates the First Amendment,” stated the FIRE letter. “When the government seeks to silence political expression, it bears a heavy burden to justify its censorship. The Capitol Gallery Rule cannot meet that high bar.”
“Suppressing silent, nondisruptive political expression is not a permissible — let alone compelling — interest in a state capitol. And a rule prohibiting nondisruptive political expression in a public gallery is not reasonable in light of the purpose of the gallery — ensuring Colorado’s legislature is open and accessible to members of the public interested in pending legislation.”
Hunt explained in a statement released by FIRE on Tuesday that he was “shocked when I was asked to leave the senate gallery simply for wearing a pro-life sweatshirt.”
“I felt like I was being targeted for expressing my American right to free speech. My goal with this case is to make sure this type of censorship doesn't happen to anyone else, especially in the heart of our state’s democracy,” he added.
In addition to being a talk radio host and a former employee of CCU, Hunt has also written a few op-eds that have been published by The Christian Post.
Cindi Markwell, the secretary of the Senate, explained in a statement given to Westword back in 2023 that the shirt prohibition came in response to the contentious debate over a set of three abortion-related bills.
"These bills drew both pro-life and abortion rights constituents," Markwell told Westword at the time. "In accordance with custom and practice and as stated on the signage posted on each side of the Senate gallery, no apparel can be worn expressing political statements. The purpose of the policy is to avoid conflict between opposing sides on any particular issue."
