Ohio Lawyer Sues Judge Who Gave Her Jail Time For Wearing Black Lives Matter Pin To Court
An Ohio lawyer who was sentenced to jail time after she refused to remove a Black Lives Matter pin in court last month, is taking legal action.
Andrea Burton filed a lawsuit against Youngstown Municipal Court Judge Robert Milich and his colleague Elizabeth Kobly on Thursday (Aug. 18), reports ABC News.
Milich found Burton in contempt of court because she wouldn’t remove the pin, which he said was against the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that bans political pins from court. Milich sentenced Burton to five days in jail, though she was granted a stay of appeal and released from custody.
“A judge doesn’t support either side,” he later explained an interview. “A judge is objective and tries to make sure everyone has an opportunity to have a fair hearing, and it was a situation where it was just in violation of the law.”
By ordering her to remove the pin, Burton felt that the judge dishonored her First Amendment Rights. She wore the pin as a show of support for the Black Lives Matter movement and to make a statement against police brutality.
“I’m not neutral in injustice ,” Burton said after the incident. “To remain neutral becomes an accomplice to oppression.”
