 Eventually, the charges were dropped. Bombard filed a lawsuit with the help of the American Civil Liberties Union of Vermont, which claimed that the arrest was in violation of Bombard's First Amendment rights. Hillary Rich, a staff attorney with the ACLU, also spoke to NBC News Channel 5. We have a right in this country, it's a fundamental constitutional right, to express criticism with the government. And if police don't agree with that speech, they're not allowed to abuse their authority to punish it.