City of Brandon, Mississippi

Rule Changes

Defendant; must now defend the ordinance on First Amendment merits

For three decades, the Heck bar let cities enforce questionable speech ordinances with near-impunity: once convicted, someone lost the ability to challenge it in federal court. On March 20, the Supreme Court unanimously ruled that this shield doesn't apply when someone simply wants to stop future enforcement — not undo a past conviction.

Updated May 30