Our Fight for Arrested Pro-Life Advocate Goes to Court of Appeals

In 2024, Zack and Lindsay Knotts stood peacefully on a public sidewalk outside the Northeast Ohio Women’s Center, in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. Zack used a small battery-powered megaphone – quieter than the surrounding traffic – to share his pro-life message and offer hope to women entering the clinic. Abortion clinic escorts responded by swarming him with umbrellas, whistles, and kazoos, actively trying to drown him out. Police arrived and arrested only one person that day: Zack Knotts.

The city cited Zack under a noise ordinance banning sounds that cause “inconvenience or annoyance to persons of ordinary sensibilities” – while ignoring the escorts doing exactly that. The police arrived after Zack’s megaphone battery had died, meaning they had no direct observation of any violation. Their only witness was an off-duty security guard employed by the abortion clinic itself.

We took on Zack’s criminal defense – and we won. With a packed courtroom watching, prosecutors folded entirely, dismissing the charges rather than face us at trial. But a dismissed criminal charge doesn’t make Zack free. The unconstitutional ordinance is still on the books. The city can use it again tomorrow. That’s why we filed a federal civil rights lawsuit – and that fight is now heading to the next level. One step removed from the U.S. Supreme Court.

Add your name to the petition: Protect Pro-Lifers From Abortion Zealots.

When the city tried to have our federal lawsuit dismissed, we filed a powerful brief exposing their discriminatory practices. The district court dismissed our case. We have now filed our notice of appeal.

Here is what the road ahead looks like:

1. Briefing at the Sixth Circuit. Our case now moves to the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit in Cincinnati. Over the coming months, our legal team will file a comprehensive opening brief laying out every constitutional violation in this case. The city will file a response. We will then file a reply. This is where our arguments are sharpened and the legal record is built for a ruling.

2. Oral Argument. In all likelihood, a panel of three Sixth Circuit judges will hear oral argument – a live, back-and-forth legal debate where our attorneys will be in court to defend the Knotts’ constitutional rights face to face. We have been here before. The Sixth Circuit has ruled in our favor in pro-life speech cases, including a landmark win striking down a Louisville buffer zone ordinance. We intend to make that record work for Zack and Lindsay.

3. The Court Rules. After briefing and argument, the Sixth Circuit will issue a written decision. If we prevail – and we believe we will – the court could reinstate the dismissed claims, declare the ordinance unconstitutional, and pave the way for a permanent injunction stopping Cuyahoga Falls from ever using this weapon against pro-life advocates again. A strong Sixth Circuit ruling here could protect sidewalk advocates across the entire region.

4. What Victory Looks Like. Our goal is straightforward: A court order declaring the Cuyahoga Falls noise ordinance unconstitutional as applied to protected speech, a permanent injunction against its enforcement, and accountability for what was done to the Knotts family.

What Cuyahoga Falls did to Zack Knotts is not an isolated incident. It is part of a disturbing and growing pattern: local governments weaponizing vague ordinances against pro-life voices while giving pro-abortion activists a free pass. We’ve seen this in Charlotte. We’ve seen this in Louisville. We see it coast to coast.

Every time a pro-life advocate is silenced on a public sidewalk, an unborn child loses a potential lifeline. Zack and Lindsay Knotts show up because they believe every life is sacred. They shouldn’t have to choose between following their faith and avoiding arrest. No American should.

Take action with the ACLJ. Add your name to the petition: Protect Pro-Lifers From Abortion Zealots.