Federal judge dismisses Chicago Headline Club lawsuit over federal agents' use of force, says plaintiffs can refile in future
A federal judge in Chicago has dismissed a lawsuit that led to a preliminary injunction limiting federal agents' use of force during immigration operations in Chicago.
The plaintiffs in Chicago Headline Club v. Noem, which were comprised of a group of independent journalists, protesters and clergy, filed the suit last October during Operation Midway Blitz. They argued actions by federal agents during Operation Midway Blitz in the Chicago area violated their First Amendment rights.
Two months later, after obtaining an injunction limiting immigration agents' use of force, the plaintiffs moved to drop the lawsuit, saying it appeared the immigration enforcement blitz in Chicago "has ended" for now. In their motion, they promised to re-file if agents continue violating the First Amendment rights of the press.
Judge Ellis initially declined to dismiss the lawsuit entirely, citing concerns about doing so in the wake of the deadly shooting of Renee Good in Minneapolis by an ICE agent, and scheduled another hearing for today, at which point she granted the request.
The lawsuit was dismissed without prejudice, meaning the plaintiffs can refile their lawsuit in the future if federal agents again violate their First Amendment Rights.
The plaintiffs also asked that the lawsuit filed by the State of Illinois and City of Chicago against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and other agencies and members of the Trump administration to reassign the case to Judge Sara Ellis's courtroom as it "shares significant overlap in factual and legal issues" with their case.
Judge Ellis has agreed to hear the city and state's lawsuit, but a hearing date has not yet been set.
