Macon pastors file federal lawsuit against Bibb County following dropped protest charges

MACON, Ga. (WPGA) - Two local pastors are taking legal action against Macon-Bibb County officials and law enforcement after criminal charges against them were dismissed on free-speech grounds.

Mathew Blake Fuller and Christopher Smith have filed a federal lawsuit against the Macon-Bibb County Government, the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office and several individual deputies.

The complaint stems from their March 2025 arrests while preaching against abortion on a public sidewalk during an event associated with the International Cherry Blossom Festival.

An incident report indicated festival staff noted to law enforcement that Fuller was using an amplification device while preaching. A Bibb County judge dismissed all charges in February, ruling their demonstrations were protected by the First Amendment.

“All of it was worth going through and I would go through with it again,” Smith said following the dismissal.

“It’s the greatest feeling in the world to know when you’re innocent,” Fuller added.

The pastors are represented by attorneys Catherine S. Bernard and Alex Johnson, who previously defended them during their criminal trial.

Johnson argues local authorities have repeatedly targeted the public evangelists despite municipal codes permitting sound amplification.

“They had been having their rights violated multiple times over years,” Johnson said. “The city and county government are the ones that are setting these policies, and they’re the ones who have made it legal for street preaching with an amplification device. And for some reason, they are still coming after innocent people that are preaching on the sidewalk.”

Johnson emphasized the constitutional protections governing public forums.

“As free Americans, if you want to be on the street spreading a non-commercial message, you want to be preaching, you want to be spreading a political message, the government can’t get in the way and stop you from doing that,” Johnson said.

The Macon-Bibb County Government and the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office declined to comment on the matter.

The federal lawsuit will proceed with defendants filing formal responses before moving into discovery and potentially setting trial dates.