The Supreme Court ruled unanimously this spring that Christians have the right to preach on public property.
A Minnesota city council member apparently never got the memo.
What she did to a pro-life preacher at a farmers market is now costing her city in federal court.
Christian Street Preacher Charged Vendor Fee for Religious Speech on Public Property
Bryan Conwell is a Christian street preacher in Benson, Minnesota – a man who shows up at public events, holds a pro-life sign, and waits quietly for anyone who wants to talk.
City council member Cherie Stielow – who facilitates the Benson farmers market – approached Conwell and handed him a vendor permit demanding $20.
Conwell refused.
Police cited him for criminal trespass on July 9. He came back on July 16 with the same sign and the same message. Police cited him again.
He now faces up to 90 days in jail and a $1,000 fine for each citation – a total of up to six months behind bars and $2,000 in fines for standing peacefully on public property.
The Center for American Liberty filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the City of Benson, charging officials with placing an unconstitutional "price tag" on free speech and alleging violations of freedom of speech, free exercise of religion, viewpoint discrimination, and unconstitutional fees on protected speech.
"The First Amendment doesn't come with a price tag," said Mark Trammell, CEO of the Center for American Liberty. "Government officials cannot force Americans to buy a license before they peacefully express their beliefs on public property. If they can silence Bryan today, they can silence anyone tomorrow."
Even the Officer Who Wrote the Ticket Knew Something Was Wrong
Body camera footage referenced in the lawsuit shows one of the officers who cited Conwell admitting he could not reconcile the city's enforcement action with the Constitution.
"To be honest, man, I want clarification too," the officer told Conwell. "There are crimes of trespassing and crimes of disorderly conduct, but also you have your First Amendment right, so we've got to try to figure that out."
The officer added: "I know what you're doing, I get it. I'm glad someone is out here doing it."
Another officer warned Conwell directly: "The more you come back, the more citations you're going to get."
The city knew Conwell had a constitutional right to be there – and threatened him anyway.
Christian Street Preaching Rights Under Attack Nationwide as Cities Defy Supreme Court
Benson is one of multiple cities now facing legal consequences for using permits, fees, and trespass citations to push Christian speech off public property.
Earlier this month, congressional Republicans urged the U.S. Supreme Court to take up the case of Richard Hershey, a Christian evangelist threatened with arrest in 2020 for handing out pamphlets on a public sidewalk in Louisiana.
Officers told Hershey to leave immediately or face arrest – then watched another leafleteer advertising a local radio station walk freely past.
The 5th Circuit shielded those officers from liability using qualified immunity. First Liberty Institute and former Solicitor General Paul Clement petitioned the Supreme Court to reverse that decision, arguing that "the right to evangelize in public, free of viewpoint-based government suppression, is as clearly established as any right in the firmament."
Just four months ago, the Supreme Court ruled unanimously in Olivier v. City of Brandon that street preachers can sue cities over ordinances restricting their speech – clearing the legal path for exactly the kind of lawsuit now facing Benson.
Conwell's case fits the framework that has been winning in federal court. He was a peaceful man on public property selling nothing, and Stielow targeted him specifically because of his pro-life message – textbook viewpoint discrimination, the most protected category under First Amendment law.
Sources:
- Madison Colombo, "Minnesota city sued for demanding Christian preacher pay vendor fee to hold pro-life sign," Fox News, July 22, 2026.
- James Lasher, "Christian Preacher Sues Minnesota City Over Free-Speech Threats for Displaying Pro-Life Sign," Charisma Magazine, July 23, 2026.
- "Christian Activist Sues Minnesota City for Putting 'Price Tag' on His Constitutional Rights," FaithWire, July 23, 2026.
- "GOP Lawmakers Urge Supreme Court to Strengthen First Amendment Protections for Street Preachers," Fox News, July 2026.
- Andrew Rice, "Supreme Court upholds preacher's First Amendment lawsuit," The Center Square, March 20, 2026.
