Artist Sues Cleveland State for Censoring Trump Message on His Iconic ‘The Politician: A Toy’ Sculpture—Cleveland Scene
“CSU sought out Mr. Lawless to display his sculpture, and benefited not just from the artwork itself, but in the message sent to its students, faculty, and the public at large about the value of free speech in granting such a forum to an accomplished artist and social commentator,” Pattakos Law Firm attorney Andy Geronimo said in a release. “Lawless has continuously updated the sculpture with commentary on controversial issues, and only now, in response to his timely criticism of President Trump, has CSU acted to censor it. This type of viewpoint-based discrimination clearly violates the First Amendment and also constitutes an attack on the integrity of Lawless’s artwork that’s prohibited by the Visual Artists Rights Act.”