by Jorge Gomez • 2 minutes
In the summer of 2022, Seattle police arrested Pastor Matthew Meinecke for sharing the Gospel at two public events. This week, First Liberty entered a consent order that represents a complete victory for the Pastor, who brought his case against the City of Seattle.
The consent order provides Pastor Meinecke all the relief he sought in the case. He is now free to read his Bible or share the gospel on the streets of Seattle without fear of arrest. He also received monetary damages for the two false arrests, along with reasonable attorney fees and expenses.
The conflict came about because Pastor Meinecke went to a Seattle pro-abortion rally to read the Bible aloud, hold up a sign and hand out literature. He was censored and arrested on two separate occasions for simply reading the Bible to others because his Gospel-oriented message triggered hostile reactions from activists.
Despite his evangelistic and peaceful intent, some individuals in the crowd, including Antifa members, did not receive the message well. They took Meinecke’s Bible away from him, ripped out pages, knocked Meinecke down and took one of his shoes. When Seattle police finally arrived at the scene, they did not offer any aid to Meinecke. Instead, they ordered Meinecke to leave and go to a space where he could no longer convey his message, and then arrested him when he declined to do so.
Two days later, Meinecke encountered a similar situation at the Seattle Center, a public park where the Seattle PrideFest was taking place. Hecklers mistreated Meinecke again, and Seattle police officers silenced Meinecke again. The officers then arrested Meinecke for refusing to depart from his intended audience.
In April, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of Pastor Meinecke, concluding that the city’s policy amounts to an unconstitutional heckler’s veto and remanded the case with instructions for the district court to enter a preliminary injunction for Meinecke.
The court stated, “The restrictions on his speech were content-based heckler’s vetoes, where officers curbed his speech once the audience’s hostile reaction manifested” and that “Meineke established irreparable harm because a loss of First Amendment freedoms constitutes an irreparable injury, and the balance of equities and public interest favors Meinecke.”
The consent order entered this week mirrors the decision of the appellate court.
“This result is only fitting. The government should never silence the speech of a citizen just because an audience dislikes what it’s hearing,” said Nate Kellum, Senior Counsel at First Liberty. “Pastor Meinecke is thrilled to put this case behind him and get back to sharing the Gospel on the streets of Seattle.”
Read More:
Seattle Times: Judges side with street preacher twice arrested by Seattle police
Courthouse News Service: Seattle police cannot arrest street preacher for inciting hostility, Ninth Circuit rules
Christianity Daily: Seattle Police Officers Arrested Street Preacher Over Alleged ‘Risk to Public Safety’ During LGBT Event
Church Leaders: Seattle Street Preacher Assaulted at Pride Event, Abortion Rally; Arrested After Bible Thrown in Portable Toilet
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