Judge OKs Iowa Capitol protesters’ settlement, dismisses ban

By DAVID PITT
Associated Press

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A federal judge has approved a lawsuit settlement compensating five supporters of Black Lives Matter whom the Iowa State Patrol arrested and banned from the grounds of the state Capitol following a scuffle during a protest last summer. The state agreed this month to pay the five $5,000 each and their attorney $45,000. The judge on Tuesday approved that settlement, saying the ban cannot be enforced because it violates the protesters’ First Amendment rights. They were arrested July 1, 2020, and police informed them that legislative leaders ordered them banned from the grounds. The American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa sued on the protesters’ behalf.