Civil Rights

The First Amendment

The First Amendment of the Constitution guarantees American citizens to five freedoms: speech, press, religion, assembly, and petition. We understand how upsetting it can be if these rights are taken away from you in some way.

American citizens have these rights, but those rights are constantly in danger of being violated by a greater entity, like the government or larger institutions. Bill Pickett wants all Americans to have the right to a fair trial and for them to be able to freely express themselves under the First Amendment.

We, as citizens, have a right to speak our minds freely and without penalization. There are some circumstances, such as in public schools, where there is a gray area between what is unacceptable and acceptable.

Under this amendment, you are allowed to speak your mind freely and criticize the police if they are treating you unfairly. It can be difficult for the government or larger entity to simply apologize for their wrongdoings and recognize their mistreatment. You are legally allowed to stand up for yourself, using your words to combat aggression toward you.

Bill Pickett is here to defend your right to free speech.

Freedom from Discrimination

We represent people who have been discriminated against. Discrimination comes in many forms. Our firm will help you uncover whether or not you are eligible for compensation in any way.

A common form of discrimination is employment discrimination. This occurs when a person is treated poorly, not hired, given less privileges, or fired due to his or her race, nationality, religion, age, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, genetic information, medical condition, appearance, or marital status, in addition to some other examples.

Being treated poorly in the workplace can toy with your psyche, emotions, and affect your work. You deserve to have an equal opportunity as anyone else in the workplace, and we want to help you maintain that right.

Examples of Civil Rights Cases

If you are unsure if you need legal counsel for a civil rights case, contact us today to begin working together. Here are some examples of civil rights cases, which may help you discover whether or not you are a victim of something similar:

An Asian woman was not offered a job simply because of her race.

A pregnant woman was wrongfully fired due to the fact that she is pregnant.

A 52-year-old man was harassed about his age at work, leading to a hostile work environment.

A black man was dismissed from a jury, based only on his race.

A woman was denied a promotion because of her weight.

An Arabic woman is asked not to wear her hijab to work because it does not coincide with the public company’s dress code.

A black woman is pulled over and sent to jail for a routine traffic stop.

A man is pulled over for having loud music and is aggressively treated by the police, then put in jail.

These are just a few examples of discrimination, although the span of civil rights cases is incredibly large, and there is some gray area that we will work to solidify. You should be able to work and live your life freely without harassment based on your color, beliefs, age, etc.

Choose an experienced attorney.

Bill Pickett has over 13 years of experience with civil rights cases. He represented Eddie Ford after Ford was pulled over for being accused of playing the music in his car too loudly on July 17, 2007. Ford was on his way to work when he was pulled over, and the officer was disrespectful, threatening, and aggressive. Ford was then taken to jail for “running his mouth.”

Ford’s demeanor was understandably angry because there was no need for the officer to act so combative toward him. We worked with Ford to hold the police accountable for belittling Ford’s right to the First Amendment.

By the time they were able to work through the circuit court, years had passed. We, fortunately, knew it was not right to quit. Bill Pickett worked to maintain Ford’s right to free speech. He understood that Ford did have the constitutionally protected right to speak out against the police and exercise his right. The city of Yakima and the police department agreed to pay Ford a monetary settlement.

Although this case was never about the money, both Ford and Bill Pickett wanted to reach a place where the police were held accountable for the way they treated a citizen of this country.

You can learn more about Eddie Ford’s story here.

Fighting for your rights.

Bill Pickett is dedicated to fighting for you and your rights as an American and a human being. Civil rights cases can be tricky, but we want you to know that we will do everything in our power to bring you the justice you deserve.

We handle other practice areas, including personal injury, wrongful death, police misconduct, and medical malpractice. If you are in need of legal counsel, please contact us today.