Supreme Court protester gets time served

The man who interrupted Supreme Court proceedings earlier this year pleaded guilty and was sentenced to time already served. 

Noah Kai Newkirk, who in February staged a rare protest in the Supreme Court that was caught on video, has also been barred from the court grounds for a year, according to the Associated Press. 

“Price was well worth it,” he tweeted Tuesday, noting the arrest elevated the issue of campaign finance. 

{mosads}He told the newswire outside the court hearing there is a possibility there could be other protests inside the court even though his lawyer told the judge he had no intention of going back. 

An activist group he helps lead, 99 Rise, tweeted the news of the sentence with what appeared to be a challenge to followers: “your turn,” which included the hashtag #win. His protest in February received increased media attention because his group captured it on video. Recording and electronic devices are not allowed in the courtroom. 

Newkirk was seen in the video standing up and calling on the court to overturn the 2010 Citizens United ruling that opened the door to corporate political donations and led to the creation of super-PACs.  

Another section of the video also showed the oral arguments from 2013 dealing with a campaign finance case known as McCutcheon vs. Federal Election Commission, which asked whether the cap on the total amount of money a person can donate to candidates and party committees during an election cycle is constitutional. 

The court on April 2 struck down the cap on aggregate donations.

“A part of it is that it is awesome and historic to get video for the first time of a protest in the Supreme Court, which is extremely rare in and of itself,” he told The Hill earlier this year. “But we feel like what is really important and historic, and what needs to be focused on, is these outrageous decision that the Supreme Court has made.”