Tennessee Lawyer Sues over Federal Court Rule Cited to Limit Attorney Speech Under Threat of Contempt

Daniel Horowitz

Tennessee civil rights lawyer Daniel Horwitz is suing the U.S. Court for the Middle District of Tennessee over a 2022 gag order demanding he cease commenting publicly about a case or be held in contempt of court, arguing a rule cited by the federal court too broadly restricts attorney speech.

Horwitz, in a lawsuit first reported Tuesday by the Free Speech Center at Middle Tennessee University on Tuesday, accuses the federal court system in Middle Tennessee of creating and enforcing an unconstitutionally vague rule that specifically limits the speech of attorneys through its gag order enforcing local rule 83.04 in his lawsuits against CoreCivic, the Tennessee-based private prison company being sued by Horwitz in multiple lawsuits.

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