'Victory for Right to Dissent' as Six J20 Protesters Found Not Guilty on All Charges

In a decision civil liberties groups applauded as “a tremendous victory for the right to dissent,” a jury on Thursday returned not guilty verdicts for six Americans on trial for protesting President Donald Trump’s inauguration on January 20, 2017.

“A huge victory for democracy and protest, a huge defeat for the police state and the suppression of dissent.”
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The group of protesters—which includes a nurse, a photojournalist, and a college student—could have faced decades in prison if convicted on charges that ranged from property destruction to conspiracy to riot.

Scott Michelman, senior staff attorney with the ACLU of D.C., said in a statement Thursday that the jury’s decision to acquit the defendants of all charges “reaffirms two central constitutional principles of our democracy: first, that dissent is not a crime, and second, that our justice system does not permit guilt by association.”

“We hope today’s verdict begins the important work of teaching police and prosecutors to respect the line between lawbreaking and constitutionally protected protest,” Michelman added.