Scope: Federal
Branch: Judicial
Severity: Green
Date occurred: September 22, 2026
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit issued a 41-page decision in Patrick Mahoney v. United States Capitol Police Board, an appeal brought by the Capitol Police Board and its officials against appellee Patrick J. Mahoney. The case, docketed as a civil rights matter, concerns restrictions on expressive activity on U.S. Capitol grounds; the ACLU of the District of Columbia participated as amicus curiae for the appellee.
Constitutional basis: Article III appellate review of First Amendment limits on federal police restriction of expressive activity, the ordinary settled function of the courts.