Jury sides with Pennsylvania teacher in suit against district over Jan. 6 rally

A Pennsylvania school district violated a teacher’s constitutional rights by falsely suggesting he took part in the U.S. Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021, a federal jury has concluded. After an 11-day trial, jurors found the Allentown School District retaliated against Jason Moorehead when it suspended him after the deadly insurrection in the nation’s capital and asserted he “was involved in the electoral college protest that took place at the United States Capitol Building.” Although Moorehead was in Washington, D.C., to attend Donald Trump’s “Stop the Steal” rally, he said he never got closer than a mile to the Capitol and was not among the rioters who stormed the building. One of the school district’s lawyers, Shorav Kaushik, said in a brief statement Thursday that “the district respects the jury’s verdict and is considering its legal options. Instead, top district officials signed off on a “longer, detailed false statement without even speaking with Jason,” said AJ Fluehr, another of Moorehead’s lawyers. At one point, Moorehead posted a selfie of himself on Facebook in a “Make America Great Again” hat and carrying a Revolutionary War-era flag, captioning it: “Doing my civic duty!” Moorehead also shared a post that said: “Don’t worry everyone the capitol is insured,” appending his own one-word comment: “This.” The district told Moorehead that his posts were “distasteful, insensitive, inconsiderate, thoughtless, uncaring.” Moorehead’s suit said school district and top officials retaliated against him based on his protected speech, and the judge instructed jurors that his rally attendance, Facebook posts and political leanings were protected by the First Amendment.