Washington, D.C., agreed to pay a “significant amount” to settle a First Amendment lawsuit filed by a man detained for playing the “Imperial March” from “Star Wars” behind National Guard troops during a protest last year.
Sam O’Hara walked behind the troops blasting the iconic Darth Vader theme in protest of their deployment. Metropolitan Police Department officers detained him, triggering the lawsuit.
Under the settlement, the District resolved claims against MPD officers. But the case continues against Ohio National Guard Sgt. Devon Beck, who allegedly summoned police to stop the protest.
“The government’s efforts to silence me ultimately backfired and brought more attention to the unjust deployment of the National Guard in Washington, D.C.”
O’Hara said the settlement “serves as a reminder that constitutional freedoms are worth defending, especially when those in power would prefer we stay quiet.”
The lawsuit centers on whether Beck violated O’Hara’s free speech rights by calling police on the peaceful protest. The settlement amount was not disclosed, but O’Hara’s legal team described it as significant.
The case raises questions about military overreach and the right to protest government deployments in the nation’s capital.
