The Upper Midwest Law Center (UMLC) expressed disappointment following the federal court’s dismissal of former Minnesota State Senator Dr. Scott Jensen’s lawsuit against the Minnesota Board of Medical Practice. Dr. Jensen’s lawsuit asserts that the Board investigated him over his political speech, specifically his views on COVID-19, which contradicted the mainstream medical narrative.
Despite numerous facts cited in the Complaint that his speech was chilled, that he declined to speak in certain forums, and that he was forced to divert thousands of hours of time to defending his speech, U.S. District Court Judge Jerry Blackwell ruled that Dr. Jensen failed to provide sufficient evidence to show that his speech was deterred or that the board targeted him based on his views. The court’s decision, however, does not mark the end of the fight for First Amendment rights.
“We at the Upper Midwest Law Center respectfully disagree with the Court,” said James Dickey, UMLC Senior Counsel. “Dr. Jensen will appeal, and he will win. Dr. Jensen had never been investigated by the Minnesota Board of Medical Practice in over 40 years of medical practice. He was selected from thousands of candidates to be the 2016 Minnesota Family Practice Doctor of the Year. Suddenly, because he was willing to speak out and subsequently chose to run for governor, he was investigated by his licensing board—appointed by his opponent—five times. Anyone in his shoes would think twice about talking after that experience. He was obviously harmed by these frivolous speech investigations. The First Amendment stands in the way of that kind of weaponized government censorship.”
Dr. Jensen also said: “This lawsuit has never been about one person. It’s about all of us and our right to free speech. If it can happen to me, why couldn’t it happen to anyone?”
UMLC remains committed to protecting the free speech rights of all individuals and will continue to advocate for those who are targeted by overreach from government agencies for their political beliefs. The case represents a broader concern about the chilling effect that government scrutiny can have on political speech in the United States.
