The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) has reached a settlement with the pro-lifers who were asked to cover up their pro-life clothing during a visit to the National Archives Museum earlier this year. According to court records, the plaintiffs in the lawsuit, L.R., Wendilee Walpole Lassiter, and Terrie Kallal, agreed to settle for a total payment of $10,000 from the museum.
The incident occurred in January when the plaintiffs, who were attending the March for Life in Washington D.C., stopped to visit the museum. After they entered, security guards asked them to cover or change their clothing, which contained pro-life messaging. At the time, the pro-lifers noted that those with pro-abortion messages on their clothing were allowed inside with no such requests for removal.
“[The security guard] told me to take off my pro-life pin as I was standing next to the constitution that literally says Freedom of Speech on it,” L.R. stated in the complaint, which contended that the request violated their rights to freedom of speech and freedom of religious expression.
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Following the lawsuit, NARA terminated the employment of the security guard involved in the incident, issued an apology, and said it would retrain its staff.
“NARA regrets the events of January 20, 2023, and has reminded all NARA’s contract security officers at NARA’s facilities across the country of the rights of visitors and of the policy,” the organization said in a consent order signed Tuesday.
“The plaintiffs should not have been asked to remove or cover articles of clothing expressing their religious and other beliefs, and [the National Archives and Records Administration] regrets that this happened,” the consent order added.
The plaintiffs were represented by lawyers from the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ).
“We are pleased with this win for our clients which has provided exactly what we demanded: explanation as to who was involved and how the targeting occurred. ACLJ’s involvement prompted a full investigation into the events that transpired on January 20, 2023,” noted Jordan Sekulow, Executive Director of ACLJ.
