Arrested for Silent Challenge

Aliya Rahman, the Minnesotan who was violently dragged out of her car by federal agents in January, was arrested again at the State of the Union address. The stated reason was that Rahman had “silently” challenged the president during the speech.

Silence, in legal terms, is the most protected form of expression. The arrest test was therefore not whether Rahman had spoken, disrupted, or violated any specific rule, but whether her presence and bearing were tolerable to the official mood of the room.