A screaming street preacher gets hearing at Supreme Court [View all]
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/
Imagine a pastafarian screaming outside of Roberts' private residence in the middle of the night.
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