FLINT, MI -- A Genesee County judge has at least temporarily blocked the City Council from silencing President Kate Fields and preventing her from presiding over meetings for 30 days.
Genesee Circuit Judge Joseph J. Farah issued an order Friday, Oct. 15, enjoining the council from enforcing the terms of a resolution that censured Fields, an action that allowed her to continue to vote for 30 days but forbid her from speaking or chairing meetings of the council.
Fields has contended the censure resolution violates her First Amendment rights and is illegal.
“I will be chairing the meeting tonight at 5 p.m.,” Fields said Monday, Oct. 18, declining further comment until after an expedited hearing on censure resolution, which is scheduled for Friday, Oct. 22.
The council is scheduled to have a special meeting Monday evening on the city’s plan for spending American Recovery Act Plan funds.
In a news release, Fields said she was “grateful for Judge Farah’s expeditious consideration of this matter and I am hopeful that the council can set aside differences about meeting procedure and work more cooperatively to accomplish the important tasks expected by the citizens of Flint.”
Fields, who represents the city’s 4th Ward, was censured Sept. 28 after she ordered 1st Ward Councilman Eric Mays to be removed from a previous virtual meeting for being disruptive without allowing him to appeal her decision to the rest of the council.
The council president filed a lawsuit last week, asking Farah to enjoin the council from enforcing provisions of the censure, allowing her to speak and chair meetings scheduled for this week.
MLive-The Flint Journal could not immediately reach 7th Ward Councilwoman Monica Galloway for comment on Monday.
The motion to censure Fields was initially made by Galloway and later amended to allow Fields to continue to vote for 30 days but not to speak at or preside over meetings.
Read more on MLive:
Censured Flint council president won’t be allowed to speak during meetings for 30 days
Flint council president calls 30-day censor a violation of First Amendment rights
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