A man who stripped nearly naked to make a point about his constitutional
rights scored a victory today after forcing airport personnel to study
up on the First and Fourth Amendments, reports The Wall Street Journal.
Aaron Tobey, known as the "4th Amendment Flasher," was arrested in 2010
by the Transportation Security Administration and Richmond International
Airport security after stripping down to his underwear - much beyond
the point mandated by protocol - with a portion of the Fourth Amendment
written on his chest in black marker: "The right of the people to be
secure...against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be
violated."
Though charges were ultimately dropped, Tobey sued the TSA and the
airport, and following a year and a half of legal proceedings the
respective organizations involved have now settled. The details of the
settlement read like an civil libertarian fantasy realized, and involve
Richmond's airport security personnel being forced to brush up on
American Government 101:
"Richmond International Airport officials announced this week that their
security officers underwent a special two-hour training course on the
First and Fourth Amendment rights of passengers as a part of a
settlement with Mr. Tobey," writes WSJ's Jacob Gershman.
The TSA, as part of a separate settlement that likewise involved no monetary payout as originally
sought by Tobey, appears somewhat less humbling. The TSA has "agreed
not to appeal the ruling or further prosecute Mr. Tobey for interfering
with TSA procedures," Gershman informs.
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