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A federal judge has dismissed most of the claims filed by activists and civil liberties groups accusing the Trump administration of violating the civil rights of protesters who were forcibly removed by police before President Donald Trump Trump walked into a church near the White House for a photo-op.
U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich said Monday that the lawsuits, which say Trump and then Attorney William Barr conspired to violate the rights of protesters last June, were speculative and premature for the court to conclude if the actions of the law enforcement officers were justified.
Friedrich dismissed the claims against Barr and other federal officials, including acting U.S. Park Police chief Gregory Monahan, who found there was insufficient evidence to prove that there was any agreement or plan to violate the rights of protesters. The judge also said the law gives them safety in civil law.
In a 51-page decision, the judge allowed claims against the Metropolitan Police Department and the Arlington Police Department that their officers were involved in clearing the park to proceed.
The lawsuit came at one of the most famous moments of the Trump presidency, when federal and local law enforcement officials aggressively forced a group of more peaceful protesters back from Lafayette Square outside White House, fired smoke bombs and pepper balls at the crowd to disperse the group. Officials were seen pushing protesters and journalists as they pushed the crowd.
Barr said he met with other law enforcement officials earlier that day to review a plan to expand security around the White House to protect federal agents after days of unrest in Washington following the death of George Floyd at the hands of police officers in Minneapolis.
After forcefully dispersing the crowd, Trump, followed by an entourage of his most senior aides including Barr along with Secret Service agents and reporters, marched toward St. Louis. Johns Church, a landmark building where every president prayed, was damaged days earlier in a protest fire.
The lawsuit was filed on behalf of the Black Lives Matter DC group and protesting individuals present by the DC ACLU, Washington Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs, Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and the law firm of Arnold & Porter .
In a statement, Arthur Ago, director of the criminal justice project at the Civil Rights Act, said the decision set an extremely dangerous precedent and former officials like Barr had dropped scot-free.
We will always stand up for the rights of those who peacefully demonstrate racial justice, and this decision sends the wrong message for police accountability efforts at a time when it is needed more, Ago said.
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