Settlement reached in lawyer wearing Black Lives Matter button

YOUNGSTOWN — A settlement has been reached in the federal court lawsuit by Atty. Andrea Burton, which claimed that Judge Robert Milich of municipal court violated her free speech, due-process and equal-protection rights by finding her in contempt of court when she wore a “Black Lives Matter” button in his court on July 22.

Court documents released this morning show the settlement of the lawsuit against Judge Milich and the city was reached after more than three hours of mediation Thursday.

Accompanying the settlement was a statement from Burton saying she viewed wearing the button in the same context as wearing a pink ribbon to promote breast cancer awareness, but she now understands “that a courtroom is a nonpublic forum over which Judge Milich has the authority to dictate decorum.”

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