FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Journalist Violently Arrested by Federal Agents for Protected Speech
Independent journalist Matthew Reardon is violently arrested by federal agents for protected First Amendment speech outside a federal courthouse — with…
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE- August 27, 2025
Journalist Violently Arrested for Protected Speech: “Cohen v. California Has Already Decided This”
LAFAYETTE, LA — On August 25, 2025, journalist Matthew Oliver Reardon was violently arrested outside the U.S. District Courthouse in Lafayette, Louisiana, for holding a sign reading “Fuck the U.S. Marshals Service.”
The arrest and assault closely parallel the landmark Supreme Court case Cohen v. California (1971), in which the Court overturned a conviction of a man wearing a jacket with the words “Fuck the Draft.” Justice Harlan’s majority opinion declared: “One man’s vulgarity is another’s lyric.”
“The Supreme Court already settled this fifty-four years ago,” Reardon said. “What happened to me is unconstitutional, illegal, and proof of a federal conspiracy to silence journalists.”
Violent Assault by Marshal Hayden Newsom
According to Reardon, U.S. Marshal Hayden Newsom baited him into moving his camera away from a locked courthouse door. As Reardon backed up, Newsom slammed him to the ground, destroying a 4K camera, brand-new gimbal, and tripod.
Inside a holding cell, Newsom allegedly drove his knuckles into Reardon’s chest while he struggled to breathe. When Reardon knocked his arm away in self-defense, Newsom threatened him with a felony charge of “assaulting a federal officer.”
Despite his elevated heart rate (140–160 bpm) and visible distress, medical help was delayed nearly an hour. Paramedics and Newsom accused him of faking to “delay jail.”
Unlawful Transfer and Torture at St. Martin Parish Jail
After being discharged from the hospital, Reardon was shackled and transferred to St. Martin Parish Deputy Olliviette. When asked what charge he was being booked on, Olliviette admitted there was none—only “a hold for the U.S. Marshals.”
“I told him transporting me without charges is kidnapping under 18 U.S.C. § 1202,” Reardon said. “I reminded him of Nuremberg—that ‘just following orders’ is not a defense.”
At St. Martin Parish Jail, Reardon reports being assaulted again. Deputy Olliviette and a female booking officer nearly broke his wrists by hoisting him up by overly tight handcuffs. He was thrown into a freezing cell given only a torn blanket without a mat to lay on the floor.
FOIA Records Confirm Conspiracy
Earlier this year, Reardon filed a FOIA request with the U.S. Marshals Service. The agency produced 14 heavily redacted pages referencing nationwide BOLOs and bulletins targeting him for “First Amendment auditing” and journalism .
“These redactions now demand full disclosure,” Reardon said. “The documents show foreknowledge. The Marshals knew what they planned to do. And then they carried it out—on camera, in plain daylight.”
Call for Accountability
Reardon asserts this chain of events constitutes:
- Retaliation for protected First Amendment activity.
- Destruction of press equipment in violation of constitutional protections.
- Torture and cruel treatment while in federal and parish custody.
- Kidnapping under federal law (18 U.S.C. § 1202) due to detention without charges.
“Marshal Hayden Newsom and Deputy Olliviette tried to silence me through violence and disappearance,” Reardon said. “They failed. The Supreme Court’s ruling in Cohen still stands. And now, so do I.”
See Emergency Fundraiser Here: https://givesendgo.com/fed-assault-and-kidnapping
For Press Inquiries Contact:
Matthew Oliver Reardon
Journalist, We The People News
mreardon@wtpnews.org
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