Justice Department Supports Photojournalist Lawsuit Against County

The U.S. Justice Department filed a supportive statement Monday in a federal civil rights lawsuit brought by prominent photojournalist Mannie Garcia, the National Press Photographers Association reported.

Garcia is suing Montgomery County police and prosecutors over an incident that occurred in Wheaton in 2011.

On a June evening two years ago, Garcia was leaving Woomi Restaurant on Hickerson Drive in Wheaton when he saw an arrest in progress down the street. After he began taking photos and shooting video, police officers confronted him and arrested him for disorderly conduct. His camera's memory chip was never recovered, he said.

Although he was eventually found not guilty, the pending criminal charge caused him to lose his White House press credentials.

The Justice Department's March 4 statement showed an interest in Garcia's case as it moves through the courts, the NPPA reported:

The Justice Department told the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland in its filing today that it upholds an individuals' 1st, 4th, and 14th Amendment rights to peacefully photograph police as they are performing their official duties in a public place, and that their rights have been violated when police seize such recordings without a warrant or due process.