Two Jan. 6 police officers sue to force US Capitol to install memorial plaque

By Mike Scarcella

June 12 (Reuters) - Two police officers on duty during the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol by U.S. President Donald Trump's supporters sued federal officials on Thursday, saying the government has refused to install a federally-mandated memorial to officers who fought to defend the iconic building.

The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Washington, said the agency that operates and maintains the Capitol is violating a law that required a plaque to be erected commemorating the actions of law enforcement on Jan. 6.

Officers on that day battled a mob of Trump supporters who stormed the Capitol in a bid to block his 2020 election defeat to Democrat Joe Biden. More than 100 police officers were injured during the riot.

Congress in 2022 had passed a law that directed the Architect of the Capitol to honor the officers who defended the building. The law, signed by then-President Joe Biden, gave the Capitol office one year to display a plaque in the building.

Representatives from the Capitol and the Justice Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The plaintiffs in the new lawsuit are Harry Dunn, a former U.S. Capitol police officer, and Daniel Hodges, an officer at the Metropolitan Police Department.

During the riot, Dunn protected injured officers, the lawsuit said. Hodges at one point during the assault was kicked in the chest, and someone tried to gouge out his eyes, the lawsuit said.

In a statement, a lawyer for the plaintiffs said “Congress's refusal to install the plaque is an attempt to rewrite history. So many politicians' careers now depend on ignoring the fact that Donald Trump tried to overthrow democracy.”

Architect of the Capitol Thomas Austin testified at a U.S. House subcommittee in April that the U.S. House speaker’s office has not told his office to make any modifications to the House.

“We have not received final instructions to install the plaque,” Austin said.

A spokesperson for House Speaker Mike Johnson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The lawsuit could become a new flashpoint over Jan. 6.

After his election to his second term as U.S. president in January, Trump pardoned about 1,500 of his supporters who were charged in the attack. Some of those individuals had been accused of attacks on police officers.

Trump’s pardons drew criticism from some police organizations and Republicans.

"Pardoning the people who went into the Capitol and beat up a police officer violently, I think was a mistake,” Republican U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said at the time.

The case is Harry Dunn and Daniel Hodges v. Architect of the Capitol, U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, No. 1:25-cv-01844.

For plaintiffs: Brendan Ballou of Lichten & Liss-Riordan

For defendant: No appearance yet

Read more:

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US judge says Trump Jan. 6 pardons reflect 'revisionist myth'

Hundreds of Capitol rioters released from prison after Trump's sweeping pardon