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Fired FBI Agents Sue for Reinstatement
Following Botched 2020 Crowd Control
Twelve FBI agents are suing their agency after they were fired for kneeling during racial justice protests in Washington, D.C., in the summer of 2020.
FBI management interpreted their kneeling near the National Archives building as a sign of agreement with potentially violent protesters. They said they were only trying to de-escalate the situation but they deny having any political motivations.
"Mindful of the potentially catastrophic consequences, Plaintiffs knew that a split-second misjudgment by any of them could ignite an already-charged national climate and trigger further violence and unrest," says the lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C.
They accuse the FBI of violating their First Amendment rights to freedom of association and their Fifth Amendment right to due process. Their lawsuit seeks reinstatement and back pay.
The letters of dismissal they received from FBI Director Kash Patel said, "You have demonstrated unprofessional conduct and a lack of impartiality in carrying out duties, leading to the political weaponization of government."
The agents acknowledge they might not have handled the protests in an optimum manner but they also say they had no training on crowd control and lacked the proper equipment, such as riot shields and helmets. They were sent to the National Archives to protect federal property during civil disruption caused by the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
They were cleared of wrongdoing in a 2024 Justice Department inspector general’s report.
The firings drew a rebuke from the FBI Agents Association.
“Patel's dangerous new pattern of actions are weakening the Bureau because they eliminate valuable expertise and damage trust between leadership and the workforce, and make it harder to recruit and retain skilled agents — ultimately putting our nation at greater risk." the association said in a statement.
Supreme Court Campaign Finance Case
Could Unleash Super PAC Contributions
The Supreme Court is considering a case that could shift the way political campaigns are funded to eliminate what Republicans say is an advantage for Democrats.
The central question is how much money political parties can spend in coordination with candidates.
The National Republican Senatorial Committee sued the Federal Election Commission to remove restrictions on how large donations from political action committees (PACs) are given to politicians’ campaigns.
Republicans call the restrictions a violation of First Amendment rights by limiting their ability to appeal directly to voters, particularly through television advertising. The restrictions tend to favor small donations, where Democrats have traditionally done better.
A Supreme Court ruling for the Republicans would unleash large corporate donors that in previous years fueled accusations that they control the policies their preferred candidates advocate in Congress.
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Latest News
Supreme Court Hints at Expanding
President’s Power Over Agencies
Conservatives on the U.S. Supreme Court hinted last week that they were ready to overturn previous rulings to allow the president to fire members of independent government agencies.
The dispute over Donald Trump’s desire to fire a member of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) who resisted his policies is a major test of presidential power.
The Federal Depository Library Program lists 58 independent government agencies. They include powerhouses of government authority like the Federal Reserve System, the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Social Security Administration.
The FTC argues that it is an independent agency created by Congress whose members can be removed only by a majority vote of Congress.
The Trump administration says that as an agency, the FTC is part of the executive branch of government. The president is the head of the executive branch.
Power the Civil Rights Work of Our Time
Each day members of our community are experiencing wage theft, the effects of gentrification, discriminatory policing, collateral consequences, marginalization in schools, and barriers to public accommodations.
We fight alongside people facing the effects of gentrification like Amira Moore. Our work empowers the people and communities who need it most, “We can do more than we think. There’s a path to equity, we just have to step to it.” –Ms. Moore
For more than 50 years, the Washington Lawyers’ Committee has been on the frontlines of the fight for civil rights in our community. We deploy the best legal talent, we tackle the tough cases, we fight, and we win.
Our work is as important today as it has ever been. Through your support, you can play a role in creating justice for thousands of marginalized members of our community. Together, we will dismantle injustice and pursue lasting change.
Join us! Donate & subscribe: https://www.washlaw.org/support-us
Volunteer with us: https://www.washlaw.org/get-involved/
For more information, contact Gregg Kelley at Gregg_Kelley@washlaw.org
About Us
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Letters to the Editor
D.C. in Brief
D.C. Officials Warned of Consequences
From Reducing Health Care Benefits
The District of Columbia’s lackluster hope of getting the federal health care assistance local officials say they need for low-income persons is compelling them to take drastic steps.
The D.C. Council is proposing budget cuts that medical personnel and advocates for the poor are warning will mean some people die and others go without needed treatments.
They urged D.C. Council members at a hearing this month to restore benefits for more than 2,000 residents cut from the local insurance plan called the Health Care Alliance Program.
Thousands more are expected to lose coverage next year as the city revises Medicaid policies to save money.
Mayor Muriel E. Bowser says she has few better options as the federal government downsizes its employment and a volatile real estate market has left Washington with a $1 billion budget shortfall.
Adding to the concerns is the battle in Congress that is likely to result in the expiration of tax credits for the Affordable Care Act.
The District of Columbia joined 23 states in April in suing the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to prevent the cutoff of $11 billion in public health grants. The lawsuit is pending in federal court.
Advocates for the poor say the struggle over health care in Washington is a sign of the times for communities nationwide.
“As Washington D.C. is planning cuts to dental and vision coverage, other states like Maryland, Virginia, New York, Connecticut, Indiana, Idaho, Colorado, and Utah are also facing similar challenges to their Medicaid budget,” Daniela Gonzales-Rious, health justice coordinator for the nonprofit Advocates for Justice and Education, Inc., told The Legal Forum.
Congressional Report Blames Police Chief
For Manipulating D.C.’s Crime Statistics
A congressional report released Monday accuses Washington, D.C.'s police chief of manipulating statistics to show a large drop in crime.
The report says Police Chief Pamela Smith pressured district commanders to revise crime numbers to create the image of a safer city.
Smith would publicly humiliate them or make implied threats to them if the statistics they submitted at regular intervals failed to demonstrate that crime was going down in their jurisdictions, according to testimony from all seven district commanders.
They testified before the House Oversight Committee as it conducted a months-long investigation in conjunction with the Justice Department.
Their testimony contributed to an allegation in the report that Smith created “a coercive culture of fear” among her top staff. It also said that she “propagated an ecosystem of fear, retaliation, and toxicity.”
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Legal Briefs
We Could Use Your Help
Thousands of DC residents need a lawyer, but can’t afford one. They could be illegally evicted from their homes, lose custody of their children, experience domestic violence, and more, all because they lack legal representation.
You could make a difference. By making a donation to the Legal Aid Society of the District of Columbia, you will provide free, high-quality, zealous legal representation to low-income DC residents.
Your support could prevent homelessness, domestic violence, hunger, or family separation. In fact, if just 10 people who see this ad give $28 to Legal Aid, it will be enough to staff an experienced attorney at the courthouse for a day.
That way, DC residents like Keith King (pictured above) can get the legal representation they need to win their cases. As Mr. King put it, if it wasn’t for his Legal Aid lawyer, “I would have been homeless again.”
Here is the link to the Legal Aid website for donations: https://www.legalaiddc.org/donate-to-legal-aid/
For more information, contact Rob Pergament at Legal Aid at rpergament@legalaiddc.org