The Rev. Patrick Mahoney, second from right, kneels on both knees to pray for people outside the Supreme Court.
A Presbyterian minister sued House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Vice President (Senate President) Kamala Harris, the U.S. Capitol Police and the Senate’s armed sergeant Tuesday (March 30), saying the fence they continue to place blocks the area around the Capitol and violates his First Amendment rights.
In a complaint filed Tuesday in federal court, the Rev. Patrick Mahoney said he has been trying to hold a prayer meeting for Good Friday on the sidewalk near the Capitol’s Lower West Side, but authorities have denied his request. In the past, Mahoney said, he has held many similar events at the same location. And last year, he worked with Capitol Police to make sure the event complied with the restrictions of the Communist China Virus Outbreak (COVID-19).
The complaint reads, “By these actions, Defendants effectively created a no-speech zone in one of the most important public forums in the United States. (no-speech zone).”
The area around the Capitol has been fenced off and the National Guard has been stationed in the area following the violent congressional protests that occurred on Jan. 6. Mahoney said the incident was the inspiration for the prayer meeting he wanted to hold. In his lawsuit, he noted that “division and anxiety have plagued our nation since the tragic events of Jan. 6, 2021, and he is pleading with God for healing.”
An email from Capitol Police to Mahoney, obtained by Fox News, said the area where Mahoney was to hold the prayers was “restricted” and therefore his request for permission could not be processed. As an alternative, a police lieutenant said Mahoney could apply to hold the prayer event on a sidewalk. But Mahoney told Fox, “That place is far from where I want to go.”
Mahoney said Pelosi and others violated his First Amendment-protected rights to free speech, assembly and the free exercise of his religious beliefs by prohibiting him from holding a prayer event. He also says that violates his Fifth Amendment due process rights and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA).
Mahoney’s lawsuit was filed on his behalf by the Center for American Liberty. In a statement, Harmeet K. Dhillon, the center’s chief executive officer, said, “The denial of the application for priests and faithful parishioners to pray outside the U.S. Capitol is unthinkable and violates the First Amendment guarantee of a traditional public forum.”
Fox News asked Pelosi, Harris and the Capitol Police Department to comment on the lawsuit, but they did not immediately respond.
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