Dear Stickergate Supporters,

This is your occasional update on our family's ongoing legal saga. To get right to the point: we recently lost our second criminal round and have begun the process of appealing to the Idaho Supreme Court. The ISC could take the case up themselves or send us to the Court of Appeals. Either way, the war of attrition continues. But we truly do not want to live under a government that reserves the right to selectively arrest and prosecute citizens for protesting their illegal behavior, and so we are unwilling to retreat from the field unless God requires us to, either by exhausting our appeals or our resources. Your support has helped us come this far, and we are extremely grateful for it.

In encouraging news, the City of Moscow was recently forced to settle in the lawsuit regarding their illegal psalm sing arrests. Hopefully, that result will help wisdom grow among low level politicians everywhere, but we're not counting on it.

Blessings,

The Wilson Fam

Dear Stickergate Supporters,

As our multiple cases are heating up, the time has come to send you all an overdue update. First, in helpful and encouraging news, a Federal Judge recently slapped down the City of Moscow's attempt to get a summary judgment against the psalm-sing arrest lawsuits. The Judge ruled, as the law of the case, that the City was in the wrong in those arrests. That same Judge is now presiding over a settlement conference. This is helpful, because those (now officially acknowledged as illegal) arrests were what my sons were protesting with their stickers.

There are two main branches to our update right now. First, almost a year ago, Rory was convicted (in a jury trial) of one count of placing advertising material on a pole without permission. We have been using a great appellate lawyer based out of Boise ever since, and the appeal has just moved through oral arguments. There are numerous (very strong) grounds for this appeal, and we are praying for a clear and thorough vindication. Many people assume that an appeal is some form of retrial. It is not. An appeal like this one is actually more like a trial of all the judge's actions and decisions throughout the criminal proceeding. In Rory's case, among other things, Judge Marshall's rulings prevented our lawyers from presenting Rory's defense in her courtroom, thereby corralling the jury into a guilty verdict. Those decisions (a functional thumb on the scale) are what are now on appeal.

Parallel to the criminal appeal, the three of us filed lawsuits. While we would have preferred to wait until Rory's appeal was complete (it could still bleed on for a long time), a statute of limitations was breathing down our necks. The first lawyers we approached to handle this were unwilling to work on the case due to fear of political consequences. Others were simply too busy for the time this fight would require, and others were willing but inexperienced. As a result, as the statute of limitations approached, we still did not have a legal team in place. I was forced to file our lawsuits per se (representing ourselves). I barely got all the necessary forms filled out in time and boogied up US 95 to the nearest Federal Courthouse a couple hours away. I was the last person to enter the building and got our lawsuits filed in time (barely). Then I turned my focus on getting the best possible legal team to take over and represent us. (I have no delusions about my future as a lawyer.)

God answered our prayers, and we are incredibly grateful that Robert Muise of the American Freedom Law Center stepped in and took command in our brawl. We could not be happier. The AFLC got right to work and replaced my filing with an Amended Complaint. The City of Moscow has since filed to have all our lawsuits tossed out, our teams have exchanged fire, and we are waiting for the next round in the struggle.

Please keep us in your prayers on both the criminal and civil fronts, specifically that we would have the endurance and ability to finish the fight well. Pray for vindication and that this fight would be fruitful in the broader cultural struggle that rages all around us. We are extremely grateful for all of you, both for your prayers and for your financial support. There is no way we could have lasted this long without help. God has provided that help in a variety of ways throughout all of this, and you all have been part of that provision.

Gratefully,

Nate (Rory and SJW) 

Well, after a year and a half, we’re finally nearing the end of Round One—the fight in Magistrate Court. Rory chose to take the stand and testify before the jury in his own defense, after which the judge saw fit to admonish the court and our lawyers that this case has nothing to do with the First Amendment. We disagree, and will continue to disagree in every court, at every level of appeal necessary. But we pray the jury will disagree with the judge as well. Closing arguments will begin shortly.

Dear All,

Your prayers and continued support are appreciated as stickergate finally comes to a head for our family. Jury selection begins this morning in the city of Moscow’s long, selective prosecution of Rory for his free speech protest of their illegal behavior during the Covid lockdowns. Pray that he will be fully and completely exonerated at this level or the next, and that we’ll have the endurance to see it through as far as we need to.

Sincerely,

Heather

Dear All,

Your prayers and continued support are appreciated as stickergate finally comes to a head for our family. Jury selection begins this morning in the city of Moscow’s long, selective prosecution of Rory for his free speech protest of their illegal behavior during the Covid lockdowns. Pray that he will be fully and completely exonerated at this level or the next, and that we’ll have the endurance to see it through as far as we need to.

Sincerely,

Heather

Dear All,

Your prayers and continued support are appreciated as stickergate finally comes to a head for our family. Jury selection begins this morning in the city of Moscow’s long, selective prosecution of Rory for his free speech protest of their illegal behavior during the Covid lockdowns. Pray that he will be fully and completely exonerated at this level or the next, and that we’ll have the endurance to see it through as far as we need to.

Sincerely,

Heather

Dear All,

Your prayers and continued support are appreciated as stickergate finally comes to a head for our family. Jury selection begins this morning in the city of Moscow’s long, selective prosecution of Rory for his free speech protest of their illegal behavior during the Covid lockdowns. Pray that he will be fully and completely exonerated at this level or the next, and that we’ll have the endurance to see it through as far as we need to.

Sincerely,

Heather

Dear All,

Your prayers and continued support are appreciated as stickergate finally comes to a head for our family. Jury selection begins this morning in the city of Moscow’s long, selective prosecution of Rory for his free speech protest of their illegal behavior during the Covid lockdowns. Pray that he will be fully and completely exonerated at this level or the next, and that we’ll have the endurance to see it through as far as we need to.

Sincerely,

Heather

Dear All,

Your prayers and continued support are appreciated as stickergate finally comes to a head for our family. Jury selection begins this morning in the city of Moscow’s long, selective prosecution of Rory for his free speech protest of their illegal behavior during the Covid lockdowns. Pray that he will be fully and completely exonerated at this level or the next, and that we’ll have the endurance to see it through as far as we need to.

Sincerely,

Heather

Dear All,

Your prayers and continued support are appreciated as stickergate finally comes to a head for our family. Jury selection begins this morning in the city of Moscow’s long, selective prosecution of Rory for his free speech protest of their illegal behavior during the Covid lockdowns. Pray that he will be fully and completely exonerated at this level or the next, and that we’ll have the endurance to see it through as far as we need to.

Sincerely,

Heather

Dear Team #Stickergate,

We have news and updates! The long slog through our selective and prejudicial prosecution has continued over the past few months through various hearings, motions, and attempted appeals. Not surprisingly, we have continued to receive less than favorable rulings on almost everything. Most recently, our judge ruled that my sons did not have any need of Miranda warnings before or during their interrogations, and another judge then declined to hear our appeal of that ruling. All this to say, we expect this fight might need to move far away from Moscow, possibly even to the Idaho Supreme Court before all the dust settles. But we plan to fight as long and as hard as necessary to get the victory. We've come this far (with your help). Why would we wilt now?

Now for the news:

First, yesterday we received news that the charges against my juvenile son have been dismissed! This is due to the fact that his case was being handled by Latah County, not the City of Moscow, and the county was apparently sick of riding on the city’s crazy train. In exchange, they asked Seamus to write a short paper on civil disobedience, while also agreeing that he was not waiving any of his future civil claims by doing so. Seamus turned in an amusing paper on 4/1. This dismissal is especially great as Seamus would not have been permitted a jury at his trial.

Second, Rory has finally a received a trial date of May 13th. That will be a full jury trial. My trial will be scheduled pending Rory's results.

Lastly, we have added a fantastic lawyer to our team. His name is Scott McKay, and he is a highly experienced trial and civil liberties lawyer. We are incredibly grateful to have him and pray that his involvement will be a game changer for us. We expect him to be with us for the duration of the fight from here on out.

We are grateful to God for putting us in this situation and for giving us the stomach for the conflict. Hopefully, the fruit of this struggle will leave our town and our state in a healthier place and provide our nation with one more legal precedent for freedom in a time when so many are abandoning our rights. 

Your continued support and contributions are much appreciated as this struggle has not been cheap and may have only just begun.

Cheers,

Nate