Paul Stanton (politician)
| Paul Stanton | |
|---|---|
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1985 (age 31) |
| Political party | Libertarian |
| Occupation | Computer programmer |
Paul Anthony Stanton is an Iraq war veteran, computer programmer, and former Libertarian candidate for US Senate in Florida in 2016. After serving in the Army, he protested the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and with the American Civil Liberties Union, he sued an airport for his right to hand out copies of the U.S. Constitution in protest of Transportation Security Administration policies.
Stanton joined the Army after the September 11 attacks in 2001. He served in the United States Army for six years, including a tour of duty in Iraq. His experiences with war helped shape his views on politics. He became an advocate for peace, and in 2012, after meeting Gary Johnson, he joined the Libertarian Party.
In 2010 the Transportation Security Administration began to use full body scanners in their screening process for airline passengers. These scanners produced what looks like a nude image of the person being scanned. Opting out of these scanners required a new, more aggressive patdown. Stanton decided to protest these measures by handing out copies of the U.S. Constitution and other materials in the Fort Wayne International Airport. However, the airport's policy stated that he would have to stand in a specific place outside the terminal and would have to apply for a permit, to be approved by the executive director of the airport authority, at least seven days in advance in order to protest. As a result, Stanton and the American Civil Liberties Union brought a lawsuit against the Fort Wayne – Allen County Airport Authority, claiming that this policy violates First Amendment rights to free speech. A federal judge ruled that airports were a nonpublic forum, meaning free speech could be limited for the general feeling of safety, stating that the Authority's right to amend constitutional free speech law "is related to the protection of its interests in maintaining a secure environment, reducing congestion, ensuring the free and orderly flow of pedestrian traffic." The airport later changed its rules to allow free speech in more areas, and by 2013 the TSA had replaced the unpopular nude-image full body scanners with less-invasive scanners.
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