News Release
For Immediate Release: 9.10.24
Contact: John Manning, media@firstliberty.org
Direct: 972-941-4453
Seattle Pastor Arrested for Reading Bible Vindicated in Court
Consent Order entered after U.S. Court of Appeals or the Ninth Circuit ruled in pastor’s favor.
Seattle, WA—First Liberty Institute announced a consent order was entered today in a case brought by its client Pastor Matthew Meinecke against the City of Seattle, Washington. Meinecke was censored and arrested on two separate occasions in 2022 for simply reading the Bible to others because his gospel-oriented message triggered hostile reactions from activists. In the consent order – representing a complete victory for the pastor – Judge Barabara J. Rothstein granted him permanent injunctive relief from the unconstitutional police policy, compensatory damages for the wrongful arrests, and nominal damages for the constitutional violations, along with reasonable attorney fees and expenses.
“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 Institute. “Pastor Meinecke is thrilled to put this case behind him and get back to sharing the gospel on the streets of Seattle.”
The conflict began in June 2022 when Pastor Meinecke went to downtown Seattle to read the Bible aloud, hold up a sign, and hand out literature, at a pro-abortion rally. 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 from it, 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 to his audience, 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 occurring. Hecklers mistreated Meinecke again, and Seattle police officers silenced Meinecke again, as way of addressing the problem. The officers arrested Meinecke for refusing to depart from his intended audience.
On April 19, 2024, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit 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 today mirrors the decision of the appellate court.
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About First Liberty Institute
First Liberty Institute is the largest legal organization in the nation dedicated exclusively to defending religious freedom for all Americans.
To arrange an interview, contact John Manning at media@firstliberty.org or by calling 972-941-4453.
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