Karen Read judge sued over 'buffer zone' keeping protesters away from courthouse

Four protesters are suing Judge Beverly Cannone implicit a "buffer zone" that they accidental unlawfully keeps them excessively acold distant from the courthouse wherever Karen Read's retrial connected execution and different charges is underway successful Massachusetts.

"Cannone has issued this bid chiefly to quash disapproval directed astatine her, as…the lone protests that person been documented person been the Plaintiffs successful this case, who person softly held signs criticizing Cannone," the suit alleges.

Those plaintiffs are Massachusetts residents Jason Grant, Allyson Taggart, Lisa Peterson and Samantha Lyons. Their suit besides names Geoffrey Noble, the authorities constabulary superintendent, and Michael d'Entremont, the main of constabulary successful Dedham, wherever the courthouse is located.

In their lawsuit, they are asking a national tribunal to state the "buffer zone" an unconstitutional "prior restraint" connected escaped code and an injunction, positive ineligible fees.

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Karen Read appears with her attorneys during the archetypal time of assemblage enactment successful the retrial of Read astatine Norfolk Superior Court connected Tuesday, April 1, 2025 successful Dedham, Mass. (Nancy Lane/The Boston Herald via AP, Pool)

The tribunal established a 200-foot buffer portion astir the courthouse gathering itself and a parking batch down the adjacent Norfolk County Registry of Deeds gathering up of Read's archetypal proceedings past year.

The suit takes contented with the enlargement of that portion to widen to 200 feet astir Bates Court, Bullard Street, Ames Street and Court Street for her 2nd trial. 

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A representation of downtown Dedham, MA, showing the judge's "buffer zone" astir the Norfolk Superior Court building.

"Buffer zones that over-zealously prohibit each First Amendment enactment are astir ever unconstitutional and this 1 is nary different," said Mark Trammell, a lawyer for the plaintiffs and the enforcement manager of the Center for American Liberty. "The Karen Read proceedings continues to animate passionate nationalist debate—and citizens indispensable beryllium allowed to protestation peacefully extracurricular their ain courthouse."

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David Gelman, a Philadelphia-area defence lawyer who has been pursuing the case, told Fox News Digital the suit is apt to fail.

"The justice is not saying they can’t protestation – the justice is saying they conscionable can’t protestation astatine the courthouse," helium said. "The reasons are legit too. It could sway a assemblage each time they participate and permission the building."

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Jason Grant, a protester who has been captious of Judge Beverly Cannone, holds signs extracurricular the Norfolk Superior Court successful a photograph included successful his suit seeking to undo a "buffer zone" astir the building. (US District Court for Massachusetts)

Similar orders person been upheld astir the country, helium added.

"The justice is 100% wrong her close to bash this and volition prevail," helium said. "It’s the astir communal gripe among protesters. All code is not escaped speech."

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Protesters some for and against Read person been regularly attending galore of her tribunal dates since she was charged successful 2022 with the execution of her Boston constabulary serviceman boyfriend, John O'Keefe, 46. 

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Read the suit here:

A nor'easter tore done the portion connected the greeting helium was recovered dormant – Jan. 29, 2022. An autopsy recovered helium had died from trauma to the caput and hypothermia. However, the aesculapian examiner near the mode of decease "undetermined."

Groups some for and against a Karen Read condemnation protestation extracurricular court. Blogger Aidan Kearney fires up Karen Read supporters extracurricular a Norfolk Superior Court proceeding successful Dedham, Massachusetts for motions to disregard immoderate charges against Karen Read connected Friday, Aug. 9, 2024. (Pool Images- Greg Derr USA Today Network)

The 45-year-old Read's archetypal proceedings implicit O'Keefe's decease ended with a hung assemblage past year.

Jury enactment for the do-over began Tuesday. It is expected to instrumentality six to 8 weeks aft opening statements.

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Karen Read giving John O'Keefe a buss connected the broadside of his caput successful an undated photograph. (Courtesy of Karen Read)

Read is charged with second-degree murder, manslaughter and leaving the country of a deadly accident. She could look up to beingness successful situation if convicted of the apical charge.

Read denied the charges, pleaded not blameworthy and claimed that she is being framed arsenic portion of a constabulary cover-up.

Officer John O’Keefe poses for his authoritative headshot. O’Keefe’s girlfriend, Karen Reed, is presently connected proceedings for a 2nd clip connected execution and different charges aft helium was recovered dormant extracurricular of a Massachusetts location successful January 2022. (Boston Police Department)

Cannone warned imaginable jurors astatine the commencement of assemblage enactment Tuesday not to beryllium influenced by protesters outside.

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Critics of Karen Read stitchery extracurricular the courthouse successful Dedham, MA connected Friday, June 28, 2024. Read is facing 3 charges, including second-degree execution of her Boston constabulary serviceman fellow John O’Keefe successful January 2022. (Patriot Pics/Backgrid for Fox News Digital)

"John Adams said that we are a authorities of laws, not of men, and that the instrumentality indispensable beryllium deaf to the clamoring of the public," she said, referring to the Founding Father with heavy Boston roots.

"He meant that portion the nationalist sentiment astir a fixed taxable whitethorn ebb and flow, the instrumentality indispensable beryllium steady, reliable, and even-handed."