From today's decision in Melton v. City of Forrest City, written by Judge David Stras, joined by Judges Lavenski Smith and Ralph Erickson:
Steven Melton is a pro-life, evangelical Christian. In June 2020, he reposted a black-and-white image on Facebook that depicted a silhouette of a baby in the womb with a rope around its neck. His intent was to convey that he was "anti-abortion."
Others did not view the image the same way. Two weeks after he posted it, a retired fire-department supervisor complained to Melton that he thought it looked like a noose around the neck of a black child. It upset him because the caption of the image, "I can't breathe!," was associated with the protests surrounding George Floyd's death. Melton agreed to delete it immediately.
Deleting it was not enough for Mayor Cedric Williams, who called him into his office the next day. Although Melton was "apologetic," the mayor placed him on administrative leave pending an investigation. After a single day reviewing Melton's Facebook page and discussing the post with the current fire chief, two retired firefighters, several attorneys, and a human-resources officer, the mayor decided to fire Melton over the image's "egregious nature."
He was concerned about the "huge firestorm" it had created. Among other things, the fire chief's phone had been "blowing up," "several" police officers had become "very upset," and the "phone lines" were jammed with calls from angry city-council members and citizens. Some said that Melton "should not be a part of the … fire department responding to calls." A few even said that they did not want "him coming to their house … for a medical call or fire emergency." According to the mayor, these complaints "threaten[ed] the City's ability to administer public services."
Melton was fired; he sued, claiming the firing violated the First Amendment, and the court allowed the claim to go forward:
