William Martin raised his middle finger at a New Jersey police detective, and he got slapped with a ticket.
He was charged with disorderly conduct in New Milford, Bergen County, in 2016.
The ticket he received said this: “Behaved or exhibited disorderly conduct, specifically by extending his left arm out the driver’s side window and raise his left middle finger [at the officer].”
But the case was dropped by the county prosecutor because flipping the bird is a First Amendment issue.
It turns out, the “New Jersey salute” is considered free speech.
Independence:NJ community admonished by Chinese ambassador for raising Tibet’s flag
“When I received a summons, I felt that my free speech rights were under attack for nothing more than expressing my frustration with someone whose driving had put people at risk,” Martin said, according to the ACLU of New Jersey, which represented him in court. “I’m relieved to know that the town of New Milford recognized it wasn’t worth prosecuting me for expressing my frustration.”