Brickbat: That's Not Funny
(Jose Maria Ruiz | Dreamstime.com)
In Riverview, Missouri, James Carroll faces a city-issued subpoena, signed by Mayor Michael Cornell, after posting an online joke implying the mayor was involved in a 15-year-old boy's disappearance. The incident began when Carroll shared a photo of the missing boy on a local Nextdoor group, humorously suggesting, "Someone check Riverview's mayor's basement!" Days later, he found the subpoena at his condo, demanding he appear at city hall to discuss his social media posts and threatening "severe penalties" if he did not. The Institute for Justice says the subpoena violates Carroll's free speech rights, as his joke was protected speech and not a call to violence.