Teacher arrested for applauding speaker opposing data center

At a Kansas City Commission meeting in Emporia, physics teacher Lux Claridge was removed and arrested after applauding an opposing speaker during debate over a proposed 1,000-acre data center.

Officials said they were trying to maintain order at the zoning meeting, which centered on the project’s land-use approval.

The case has raised First Amendment questions about whether brief, non-disruptive applause at a public meeting can justify removal or arrest.