A screaming street preacher gets hearing at Supreme Court

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: USA Today

Dec. 3, 2025, 3:01 a.m. ET


WASHINGTON – The city amphitheater in a suburb of Jackson, Mississippi, attracts thousands of concertgoers – and also evangelical Christians like Gabriel Olivier, who frequent the venue hoping to share their faith. But officials in Brandon, Mississippi, said the messages Olivier and others in his group spread – including shouting insults such as “whores” and “Jezebels” over a loudspeaker and holding up large signs of aborted fetuses – were too disruptive.

The Supreme Court on Dec. 3 will consider whether Olivier, who was arrested for refusing to remain within the city's designated area for protests and demonstrations, can sue the city for restricting his exercise of religious freedom.

Is the case about religious freedom?

Olivier hopes to sway a conservative court that has largely been sympathetic to allegations about burdens on religious rights. He argues the First Amendment’s guarantee of religious liberty is meaningless if he can’t challenge the city's restrictions.

City officials counter that the rules aren’t specific to religious activities and Olivier is improperly trying to get into federal court even though he didn't contest his conviction for violating the city's ordinance in state court.

Read more: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/12/03/supreme-court-street-preacher-brandon-mississippi/87486018007/

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Imagine a pastafarian screaming outside of Roberts' private residence in the middle of the night.

[wcmagumba]

1. Those noodly appendages can be scary...All hail, FSM...

[KPN]

4. Lol ... I get it!

[maxsolomon]

2. Seattle has similar bible thumping jackholes outside Mariners & Seahawks games.

Giant signs, amplified street preaching so loud you can't be heard over it. They post up right next to the queue to enter TMobile Park and spew hateful nonsense. You can hear them far inside the park.

Cops won't do jack about it because free speech. There needs to be some sort of noise ordinance passed.

[mercuryblues]

8. Get a megaphone

And get a nice chant going over them.

[maxsolomon]

11. Sounds like absolute misery.

I am Misophonic.

[mercuryblues]

12. earplugs?

[maxsolomon]

13. I'm not looking for a solution.

I'm saying this is not an isolated case.

[LisaM]

14. It's very annoying.

It's already a huge bother to go to the games (mostly because of ticketing, slow apps, and overcrowded transit), and listening to that nonsense doesn't help.

[KPN]

3. The pastafarian outside Roberts' residence seems like a good idea.

[twodogsbarking]

5. Public nuisance.

[William Seger]

6. Should religious freedom be given to people whose god needs virgin sacrifices?

"Your rights end where mine begin."

[OldBaldy1701E]

7. This... projected on his house and cranked up loud.

Specifically the prayer session!

[AllaN01Bear]

9. i constanly hear about religious rights . the only one i know of is sep of church and state.

hem

[twodogsbarking]

10. There was a guy called "The Willard Preacher" who shouted bible stuff most every day for 40 yrs on Penn State Campus.

Every day at The Willard Building. He stopped last April.

[cstanleytech]

15. The city acted in a reasonable manner.

[mpcamb]

16. Just re-watched "Airplane", recalling the Hari Krishnas harassing people at airports and the annoyance factor of it.

In NY the Port Authority had to ban repetitive solicitation activities inside its facilities, religious or otherwise.