Problems with voting? Call the Election Protection hotline at 866-OUR-VOTE.

(Washington, D.C.) – In a decision that defied the facts of that violent day, U.S. District Court Judge Dabney Friedrich on Monday dismissed claims against former federal officials, including former Attorney General William Barr, in Black Lives Matter D.C. v. Trump. The decision furthers racial injustice in America. Friedrich did allow the claims against the Metropolitan Police Department and the Arlington Police Department to proceed.  

The following is a statement from Arthur Ago, director of the Criminal Justice Project at the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law:  

“This ruling has set an extremely dangerous precedent, as the federal officials and law enforcement, including the U.S. Park Police, who attacked peaceful racial justice demonstrators will not be charged for their egregious actions. Furthermore, federal officials such as former Attorney General William Barr are also getting off scot-free.  

“We will always stand up for the rights of those peacefully demonstrating for racial justice, and this ruling sends the wrong message for police accountability efforts at a time when it is needed the most. We will look at every possible avenue for continuing to secure justice for those who were brutalized by this terrible incident.” 

Background: 

Black Lives Matter D.C. v. Trump was originally filed in June 2020, after peaceful racial justice protesters were beaten with clubs and shields, and tear-gassed outside the White House for demanding change after the killing of George Floyd.  

Read the judge’s full ruling here. 

### 

About the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law – The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law (Lawyers’ Committee), a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization, was formed in 1963 at the request of President John F. Kennedy to involve the private bar in providing legal services to address racial discrimination. The principal mission of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law is to secure, through the rule of law, equal justice for all, particularly in the areas of voting rights, criminal justice, fair housing and community development, economic justice, educational opportunities, and hate crimes.  For more information, please visit https://lawyerscommittee.org.