Two House Republicans, Nathaniel Moran of Texas and Glenn Grothman of Wisconsin, have urged the US Supreme Court to hear a case concerning Christian evangelist Richard Hershey. They argue that police officers should not be protected from liability by qualified immunity when they commit clear First Amendment violations, a decision that could affect protections for religious and political speech in public places.

Hershey was stopped by police and security staff while handing out Christian vegetarian pamphlets near Bossier City Arena in Louisiana in February 2020, and says he was threatened with arrest. He later sued five officers, but both a federal district court and the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals found that the officers had qualified immunity. His supporters say different federal appeals courts apply the doctrine differently and that Supreme Court intervention is needed to clarify officials’ accountability under Section 1983.