9-0: Supreme Court Sides With Street Preacher’s Right to Sue Over City’s Speech Restriction Fred Lucas

 March 20, 2026 

The Supreme Court, in a unanimous decision on Friday, allowed a Christian pastor to proceed with his lawsuit against a Mississippi city’s law restricting where he could preach.

In the case of Olivier v. City of Brandon, Justice Elena Kagan, a Barack Obama appointee, wrote for the court in the case involving free speech and religious freedom.

The high court determined that pastor Gabriel Olivier could sue the government of Brandon, Miss., over an ordinance he contends unconstitutionally prevents him from sharing his Christian faith near a public amphitheater.

He was arrested for preaching outside the designated free speech area in 2021 and pleaded no contest.