Judge rules Los Angeles police can't use nonlethal weapons against journalists
A federal judge ruled Los Angeles police cannot force journalists out of protest areas or use nonlethal weapons against them after reporters alleged officers targeted them during anti-ICE demonstrations last month.
U.S. District Judge Hernán D. Vera granted the Los Angeles Press Clubs request for a 14-day restraining order against the citys police department after the group said it documented dozens of incidents in which officers forced reporters away from public spaces where protests were taking place, hit them with rubber bullets and nonlethal weapons and exposed them to tear gas.
Veras ruling is an emergency order giving the court more time to consider whether to grant a longer-term block. It prohibits Los Angeles police from keeping journalists out of closed areas, assaulting or obstructing those in the process of news gathering, arresting those in closed areas and using nonlethal weapons against reporters.
When journalists persisted in documenting the protests, it appears from the evidence presented that they faced an onslaught of projectiles and other shows of physical force, Veras ruling said. On some occasions, LAPD officers purportedly targeted individuals who were clearly identifiable as members of the press.
The litigation stems from June, when Los Angeles protests over federal immigration raids captured national attention and prompted President Donald Trump to deploy the National Guard to Southern California over the objections of Gov. Gavin Newsom. The press club said some incidents also occurred during the anti-Trump No Kings Day protests that took place soon after the ICE demonstrations.
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/07/11/lapd-weapons-journalists-00448476]