California Governor Gavin Newsom and the California Highway Patrol are being sued by a congressional candidate for rejecting applications to protest the state's stay-at-home order at the capitol.
Chris Bish, a Republican challenging Democratic Rep. Doris Matsui, told Fox News she wanted to hold a May 2 protest in front of the Capitol building to force Newsom to reopen California's economy.
"I felt it necessary because our constitutional rights cannot be put on hold," Bish said. "I attended the protest on the 20th. ... There were plenty of officers there not distancing, not wearing masks."
The lawsuit, which was filed on Monday, claims denying protest permits violates the First Amendment and also points out that the state capitol has hosted other demonstrations. Following an April 20 stay-at-home order protest, Newsom ordered the California Highway Patrol to suspend granting permits to protestors at the capitol.
Most of the protestors weren't wearing masks and neglected to follow social distancing rules.
Ron Givens, a firearms instructor at the Sacramento Gun Club, also joined the lawsuit as a protest against the background check delays at the California Department of Justice.
"By banning protests generally, and denying Givens’ permit specifically, Defendants have deprived Givens of the opportunity for airing his grievances against the government, including the State’s failure to conduct timely background checks for those wishing to purchase a gun and restrictions on speech activities,” the suit says.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.