Eastpointe, Michigan has struck a deal with four local residents after a lawsuit over alleged free speech violations by the city's former mayor during council meetings. The settlement includes a payout of $17,910 each, symbolizing the year the First Amendment was ratified, and the establishment of September 6 as "First Amendment Day" in the city, as The Detroit News reported.

According to Metro Times, the city council voted unanimously to apologize to the plaintiffs. Further to a consent decree, the city must not enforce any unconstitutional limitations on the public criticizing elected officials. The lawsuit filed by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) was settled after it came out that Monique Owens, the former mayor, interrupted and tried to silence citizens expressing their opinions at public meetings.

Last year, on September 6, scenes of chaos unfolded when Owens refuted the rights of residents to criticize her, leading to council members walking out of the meeting. This particular day has now been designated to remind and ensure that residents' voices can and will be heard, as thefire.org revealed. In response to the settlement, plaintiff Mary Hall-Rayford said, "We want to encourage people to get out and feel comfortable speaking their thoughts."

Michael Klinefelt, the mayor who took office after Owens, has pledged to uphold the residents' right to criticize officials without interruption. This comes as a measure of restoring order and decorum to council meetings whilst ensuring the constitutional rights of the public are respected. "We did sign up for this, sitting up here, so any criticism that comes our way is something we should be prepared for," Klinefelt stated in a city council resolution, as The Detroit News reported.

Total compensation for the plaintiffs stands at approximately $83,000, including attorney fees. FIRE attorney Conor Fitzpatrick hailed the settlement as a victory for free speech, underscored by the fact that regular Americans should feel at liberty to express their views at local government meetings without fear. Fitzpatrick informed Metro Times, asserting, "The First Amendment protects every American's right to criticize government officials" and the consent decree reaffirms that right in Eastpointe.