Federal Judge Orders Minnesota Law Enforcement to Stop Assaulting, Harassing Journalists at Protests
18 Apr 2021
A federal judge issued an order stopping Minnesota law enforcement officials and their agents, employees, and representatives from harassing and physically assaulting journalists covering the Daunte Wright protests.
Journalists say police officers pepper-sprayed and shot them with rubber bullets, and detained, and engaged in “other acts impeding the press’s ability to observe and report about protests and law enforcement’s interaction with protestors.”
Quoting from federal court caselaw the Court noted that “the First Amendment prohibits government officials from subjecting an individual to retaliatory actions.” The Court noted that a First Amendment retaliation claim is met where the plaintiff shows that: (1) he/she was “engaged in a protected activity;” (2) the government official took adverse action “that would chill a person of ordinary firmness from continuing in the activity;” and (3) “the adverse action was motivated at least in part by the exercise of the protected activity.”