Uploaded March 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
A federal judge in Iowa ruled that the city of Newton, Iowa, violated Noah Petersen’s constitutional rights when city leaders arrested him for critiquing the police and calling them “fascists” during a city council meeting. The decision is a clear warning to government officials nationwide: in America, you don’t get to call the cops on your critics. If you do, not even qualified immunity can save you.
ij.org/press-release/vindicated-court-rebukes-newton-iowa-officials-for-retaliatory-arrests-after-citizen-called-them-fascists
“Today’s ruling is a major win for government accountability,” said Institute for Justice (IJ) Attorney James Knight. “From small towns to federal agents, government officials don’t get to use the power of arrest to punish protected speech. The First Amendment doesn’t allow public meetings to become praise-only zones—and it certainly doesn’t allow officials to weaponize the police against dissent.”
A federal judge in Iowa ruled that the city of Newton, Iowa, violated Noah Petersen’s constitutional rights when city leaders arrested him for critiquing the police and calling them “fascists” during a city council meeting. The decision is a clear warning to government officials nationwide: in America, you don’t get to call the cops on your critics. If you do, not even qualified immunity can save you.
ij.org/press-release/vindicated-court-rebukes-newton-iowa-officials-for-retaliatory-arrests-after-citizen-called-them-fascists
“Today’s ruling is a major win for government accountability,” said Institute for Justice (IJ) Attorney James Knight. “From small towns to federal agents, government officials don’t get to use the power of arrest to punish protected speech. The First Amendment doesn’t allow public meetings to become praise-only zones—and it certainly doesn’t allow officials to weaponize the police against dissent.”
