Pastor Matthew Meinecke achieved a major legal victory with the help of First Liberty, securing a consent order against the city of Seattle.
This order grants him full relief from the wrongful arrests he faced during the summer of 2022.
Under the agreement, the pastor is now free to preach the Gospel in Seattle without fear of being arrested. Additionally, he will receive monetary compensation for previous injustices, along with coverage of his legal fees.
Meinecke’s confrontations with the law originated at a pro-abortion rally in Seattle, where his attempts to read the Bible and distribute religious literature were met with hostility, leading to his arrest on two separate occasions.
The consent order now conclusively addresses these incidents, acknowledging the undue suppression of his speech and providing a platform for unhindered religious expression.
According to the consent order, the arrests occurred under circumstances where Meinecke was merely exercising his First Amendment rights by vocalizing his religious beliefs, which, despite being peaceful, were met with aggressive reactions from some attendees, including violent Antifa activists.
The subsequent police intervention did not favor Meinecke. Rather than receiving protection, he was instructed to leave the area, culminating in his arrest upon his refusal to leave.
A similar incident unfolded two days later at Seattle Center during the Seattle PrideFest. Despite facing verbal and physical mistreatment, Meinecke’s attempt to engage with the crowd resulted in another arrest when he chose not to leave the public park.
These events led to a ruling by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in April, which sided with Meinecke, denouncing the city’s actions as unconstitutional “heckler’s vetoes.” The court held that such restrictions on speech based on audience reaction violate fundamental rights, stating that “a loss of First Amendment freedoms constitutes an irreparable injury.”
Nate Kellum, senior counsel at First Liberty, remarked, “The government should never silence the speech of a citizen just because an audience dislikes what it’s hearing. Pastor Meinecke is thrilled to put this case behind him and get back to sharing the Gospel on the streets of Seattle.”
In a similar case in Reading, Pennsylvania, in June 2023, a street preacher, Damon Atkins, was arrested for preaching from the Bible during an LGBT pride month rally, which also involved a heated exchange with local law enforcement about the public nature of his activities.
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