After protesters of climate policy, police brutality and the war in Gaza blocked U.S. roads and construction projects in recent years, Republican politicians across the nation pushed harsh anti-protest laws — even some that could effectively grant immunity to drivers who strike demonstrators with their cars if they’re obstructing traffic.
In the year after the 2020 murder of George Floyd, Republican lawmakers at the state and federal levels introduced 92 anti-protest bills; the highest figure since The International Center for Not-for-Profit Law began tracking such laws in 2017. Eighty of the bills were blocked, including one at the federal level. But Republicans kept at it, introducing 37 bills in 2022 and 2023 in total, seven of them successfully (eight are still pending from last year).
Now, some GOP lawmakers are pushing for federal legislation that would penalize protests that block traffic on roadways. But despite widespread agreement within the party that this type of demonstration is a problem — and an effective rallying cry on the campaign trail — there’s no consensus on how to address it.