{"id":19181,"date":"2026-10-20T14:35:08","date_gmt":"2026-10-20T21:35:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cldc.org\/?p=19181"},"modified":"2026-10-23T10:42:31","modified_gmt":"2026-10-23T17:42:31","slug":"defending-activists-in-minneapolis-and-texas-fighting-a-reddit-subpoena-and-winning-a-slapp-suit-dismissal-in-new-jersey","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cldc.org\/fr\/defending-activists-in-minneapolis-and-texas-fighting-a-reddit-subpoena-and-winning-a-slapp-suit-dismissal-in-new-jersey\/","title":{"rendered":"Defending Activists in Minneapolis and Texas, Fighting a Reddit Subpoena, and Winning a SLAPP Suit Dismissal in New Jersey"},"content":{"rendered":"
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From federal conspiracy charges against Minneapolis organizers to a government attempt to unmask an anonymous Reddit user, the crackdown on political dissent is escalating, and CLDC is fighting back in court. Our latest case roundup covers high-stakes legal battles in Minnesota and Texas, a victory for American Muslims for Palestine in New Jersey, dozens of dismissed anti-ICE protest cases in Oregon, and ongoing fights against police brutality, government surveillance, and attacks on the right to protest.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n

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This week, Lauren Regan heads to Minnesota to represent an organizer charged with federal conspiracy in connection with the Trump regime\u2019s \u201cmetro surge\u201d authoritarian propaganda in the Twin Cities. This Minneapolis 15 <\/strong><\/a>case is ongoing in federal court.<\/p>\n

Dans Prairieland, Texas<\/strong><\/a>, we represent a young activist charged in state court with hindering a terrorist prosecution for allegedly deleting Signal messages or users. They face a mandatory 15-year prison sentence.<\/p>\n

We are also fighting the government\u2019s demand to unmask an anonymous Reddit user<\/strong> who posted anti-ICE sentiments. The government has demanded our client\u2019s identity, financial information and other confidential data. The judge denied our request to block the grand jury subpoena but paused that decision while we appeal. We submitted arguments on an expedited schedule and await the appeals court\u2019s decision.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n

In New Jersey, we won dismissal of the claims against American Muslims for Palestine\u2013NJ<\/a><\/strong> dans USA v. PSL-NJ, AMP-NJ.<\/em> The lawsuit, brought under the FACE Act, targets a street protest against illegal sales of Gaza land held partly at a synagogue. Zionists assaulted activists, but federal authorities went after the protesters and groups.<\/p>\n

The claims against AMP are particularly frivolous: its only role was promoting the protest on social media. In September 2026, the court dismissed the claims against AMP but allowed the plaintiffs to revise them. We are confident they cannot repair the claims or that we will win dismissal again, with no further opportunity to revise.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n

These are among the cases CLDC is handling heading into November 2026.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n

Stop Cop City<\/h3>\n

On December 30, 2025, the court dismissed the Georgia racketeering charges<\/a>, but the state is appealing the decision. Our client still faces a pending domestic terrorism allegation in DeKalb County.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n

Standing Rock<\/h3>\n

We are still grinding through our two Standing Rock police brutality cases, Wilansky and Poemoceah. After we overturned an earlier dismissal of Poemoceah\u2019s case and found an excellent expert witness, the court dismissed it again. We have appealed, with arguments tentatively scheduled for early 2027.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, an appeals court upheld the dismissal of Wilansky\u2019s case. We are considering asking the Supreme Court to hear it.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n

George Floyd protests in Eugene<\/h3>\n

Our longstanding case, Boudjerada, et al. v. City of Eugene, et al.<\/em>, challenges Eugene police\u2019s brutal response to the May 2020 George Floyd protests.<\/p>\n

In 2023, we won a ruling that the city\u2019s curfew, announced with five minutes\u2019 notice and followed by immediate arrests, was unconstitutional. An appeals court shielded the police chief and city manager from liability through \u201cqualified immunity,\u201d but the ruling against the city stands. We are headed to court-ordered settlement talks and, if necessary, a trial in 2027.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n

Defending Palestine solidarity organizing in Los Angeles and Michigan<\/h3>\n

We are defending People\u2019s City Council, Los Angeles<\/a>, against claims arising from an Instagram post supporting a protest against an Israeli weapons company\u2019s presentation near a synagogue. After we challenged the lawsuit, the plaintiffs withdrew it, filed a revised version, and we moved to dismiss the case.<\/p>\n

We are also challenging a sweeping Michigan grand jury demand<\/strong> for student employee union records dating back to January 2023, apparently connected to Palestine solidarity protests.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n

Fuel the fight for civil liberties.<\/h2>

When you join the Defenders Circle as a monthly donor, you become part of a powerful community creating sustained impact for movements and activists fighting for liberation. Monthly gifts allow CLDC to plan ahead for the longevity of the organization, ensuring we can continue to respond quickly to urgent legal needs and provide consistent support to those who need it most on the front lines.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

Click Here<\/a><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n

Oregon anti-ICE protest prosecutions<\/h3>\n

Of the 39 federal cases we have handled since September 2025, 32 have been dismissed and seven remain pending. We have also defended six activists in state and city courts; three of those cases have been dismissed.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n

Challenging the crackdown on protest outside Eugene\u2019s federal building<\/h3>\n

Our clients in Longworth and Lardner v. Trump, et al.<\/em> are outspoken anti-ICE activists who help lead protests several times a week outside Eugene\u2019s federal building. The building houses ICE staff and handles immigration appointments, where many immigrants are taken into custody and sent to detention centers.<\/p>\n

In November 2025, the Trump administration issued \u201cemergency\u201d rules making \u201cloud or unusual noise\u201d outside federal buildings a crime. Our clients were arrested and threatened with arrest for using megaphones to criticize the government and speak to passing drivers and pedestrians.<\/p>\n

A federal judge blocked enforcement of the rules in December and extended that protection in March 2026 while the case continues. The judge found that our clients were likely to win and that the rules were causing lasting harm to protesters\u2019 constitutional rights.<\/p>\n

The government appealed, with arguments scheduled for November 2026. We are defending the court order and working to gather evidence and obtain a final ruling.<\/p>\n

In a separate case, we challenged the tall metal fence<\/strong><\/em> the federal government built around most of the building, blocking off much of Eugene\u2019s Free Speech Plaza. The court granted us a preliminary injunction ordering the government to remove the fence.<\/p>\n

In early September 2026, the government filed its record of how the decision was made. After reviewing it, we will ask the court to rule in our favor. In the meantime, we are exploring settlement options to obtain a long-term remedy.<\/p>\n

We are also reviewing potential claims for several people injured by ICE at the building<\/em>, including protesters and people reporting for news media.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n

Challenging state surveillance of political activism<\/h3>\n

We represent longtime clients Rogue Climate<\/a> et 350 Eug\u00e8ne<\/a> dans Rogue Climate and 350 Eugene, et al. v. State of Oregon<\/em>. Oregon law bars law enforcement from collecting or keeping information about political activities without reasonable suspicion of a crime. Yet Oregon Department of Justice officials admitted under oath that they continue to monitor our clients\u2019 social media and other activist activities without that basis.<\/p>\n

The lower court dismissed our claims, on the perverse grounds that the only remedy available was to order the state to follow the law. We appealed, arguing that this is exactly the protection the court should provide. Arguments were heard in June 2026, and we remain optimistic about the outcome.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n

Big police settlements in small towns of the United States<\/h3>\n

We settled one of our oldest cases, Black Unity, et al. v. City of Springfield, et al<\/em>., over this past summer. Filed in 2020, it challenged outrageous police behavior during a march responding to a skeleton hanging from a noose across from a Black person\u2019s home in Springfield\u2019s lily-white Thurston area.<\/p>\n

Early this year, the judge allowed all our claims to proceed, strongly supporting our claims of retaliation for protected speech, excessive force, unlawful surveillance, and conspiracy to violate civil rights under the Ku Klux Klan Act. At long last, the defendants offered a meaningful settlement, allowing us to close the case.<\/p>\n

Dans Gilliam v. Miller<\/em>, we represented a Black man subjected to racial profiling in the very white small town of Coburg, Oregon. Police forced him to kneel at gunpoint, then held him handcuffed in a police car for nearly an hour without legal grounds.<\/p>\n

The court rejected our racial profiling claim but allowed his challenge to the length and conditions of his detention to proceed. That finally convinced the city to settle in July 2026.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n

Stabbin\u2019 Wagon<\/h3>\n

Stabbin\u2019 Wagon<\/a> serves unhoused people and people with addictions through needle exchanges, HIV testing and other harm reduction services. This raised the hackles of Medford, Oregon officials, police officers and a pro-police social media operator, who publicly lambasted our clients and urged the Oregon Health Authority to revoke their grant.<\/p>\n

In September 2026, the court dismissed our First Amendment retaliation claims but allowed us to clarify claims of conspiracy to deprive civil rights. The ruling included a rare recognition that addiction-related disabilities are protected by federal laws prohibiting such conspiracies between government and private actors.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n

Cal Poly Humboldt and the Arcata Five<\/h3>\n

Dans People v. Toledo<\/em>, our client, Rick Toledo, participated in a support rally for students occupying a building to pressure Cal Poly Humboldt to take a stronger position against the genocide in Palestine and ICE raids.<\/p>\n

He was not a major participant in the takeover, but a brief interaction with a university staff member led to a late-night arrest warrant on suspicion of felony conspiracy, battery, false imprisonment and assault. After he made bail, a second warrant authorized a search of his home, where his phones and computers were seized.<\/p>\n

Months later, he was charged with misdemeanor battery, false imprisonment and assault, a serious reduction from the initial felony accusations. The judge has agreed to a diversion whereby the charges are dismissed after six months.<\/p>\n

We also secured an agreement for the Arcata Five<\/em>, activists arrested during a mutual aid effort helping folks at an unpermitted campsite move their belongings prior to an eviction date. The judge has agreed to a diversion whereby the charges are dismissed after six months.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n

Animal rights defense<\/h3>\n

Presently, in California, we are defending Direct Action Everywhere<\/a> activists engaged in open rescue liberations, with trial pending. In Portland, Oregon, we favorably resolved the case of an activist arrested at a foie gras protest at a restaurant.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n

Training and movement support<\/h3>\n

We help lead Prot\u00e9gez la manifestation<\/a>, a coalition of 48 organizations opposing lawsuits used to silence organizing, and participate in networks tracking anti-protest legislation.<\/p>\n

We are also working with Trans Alliance Lane County<\/a>\u00a0 to reform jail housing and search practices for transgender people.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Lauren Regan heads to court in Minneapolis this week to represent the Minnesota 15. In Texas, our client in the Prairieland case faces a mandatory 15 years in prison for allegedly deleting Signal messages or users. We\u2019re fighting to keep the government from unmasking an anonymous Reddit user who spoke out against ICE, and in New Jersey, we won dismissal of claims against American Muslims for Palestine\u2013NJ over its promotion of a protest. <\/p>","protected":false},"author":175,"featured_media":19187,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19181","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cldc.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19181","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cldc.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cldc.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cldc.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/175"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cldc.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19181"}],"version-history":[{"count":37,"href":"https:\/\/cldc.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19181\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19244,"href":"https:\/\/cldc.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19181\/revisions\/19244"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cldc.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19187"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cldc.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19181"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cldc.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19181"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cldc.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19181"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}