Washington Supreme Court rules Seattle officers at January 6 rally must disclose identities

SEATTLE — A decision made by the Washington State Supreme Court on Thursday has determined that Seattle police officers who participated in the rally and protests at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, can be identified through public court documents.

The court’s ruling indicates that these officers did not demonstrate that publicly disclosing their names would infringe upon their right to privacy, as reported by local sources.

A group of four officers, who attended events on that significant day, argued that they should be shielded by the state’s public records law. They filed a lawsuit using pseudonyms to contest whether details regarding an inquiry into their actions should be made accessible to the public. These officers insisted that their conduct was appropriate and that the revelation of their names would compromise their privacy.

Justice Raquel Montoya-Lewis articulated the majority opinion, stating, “We conclude they have not met that burden because they have not shown they have a privacy right in public records about their attendance at a highly public event.”

The court noted that allowing the case to progress under pseudonyms would equate to sealing a courtroom, an action that necessitates substantial justification and specific findings.

Following the discovery by former Seattle Police Chief Adrian Diaz that six of his officers had traveled to participate in former President Donald Trump’s “Stop the Steal” rally, he mandated an investigation through the Office of Police Accountability to assess whether any laws or departmental policies had been breached.

The inquiry revealed that officers Caitlin and Alexander Everett, who are married, had crossed security boundaries established by Capitol police and were located adjacent to the Capitol Building — a clear violation of the law, leading to their termination by Diaz. The investigation concluded that three other officers did not breach any policies, while the outcome for the fourth officer remained “inconclusive.”

At the time, law student Sam Sueoka submitted a Public Records Act request concerning the OPA’s investigation. The officers, identified only as John Doe 1-5 in the court filings, sought a preliminary injunction to block the public release of their identities.

Expressing satisfaction with the Supreme Court’s ruling, Sueoka stated, “At this time in history in particular, with growing efforts to prevent the public from learning information about our government, we are very pleased with today’s Supreme Court decision. We look forward to obtaining the full records about the investigation into the attendance of Seattle Police Department officers at portions of Stop the Steal.”