DC Judge Sides With Pastor, Declares US Capitol’s Eastern Steps a Free Speech Zone

The judge ruled in favor of a clergyman who has long sought to pray on those steps.

U.S. Capitol Police officers patrol the East Front plaza of the U.S. Capitol on March 7, 2024. Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

The lower set of steps leading to the eastern entrances of the U.S. Capitol building is a “traditional public forum” open for First Amendment expressions such as prayers, a federal judge ruled on May 17.

In a 28-page opinion, Chief Judge Hames Boasberg of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia ruled in favor of the Rev. Patrick Mahoney, a Christian activist who has persistently challenged the limitations on demonstration activity all over the Capitol grounds.