Seattle, Washington Pastor Matthew Meinecke made news in 2022 when he sued after being arrested at two separate events for reading the Bible in public.
He has now won his case around two years later. It's reported the city will pay Meinecke $35,000 in damages plus attorney's fees.
Nate Kellum is Senior Counsel with First Liberty Institute. He tells AFN he handled the case and represented Meinecke. 
"The situation is outrageous really. Where Mr. Meineke just simply wanted to share the gospel, and what he likes to do is, is read straight from scripture because he believes that his commentary can only get in the way."
Kellum explained that in June of 2022 when the Dobbs decision came out, Meineke thought that would be a perfect opportunity to share the gospel with people. He knew some folks were gathering in downtown Seattle for a pro-abortion rally.
Meineke’s motivation was less about the Supreme Court’s historic decision and more about an opportunity to share the good news.
“Really, he didn't want to delve into the issue, although he is very pro-life in his beliefs. That was not his purpose. His purpose was to share the gospel of Jesus Christ, and so to do that, he goes out there with his Bible, and he turns to the Book of John."
Book of John causes a stir
Kellum said Meineke started reading from chapter one, verse one. That was where the trouble began.
The message was not received well, and he was assaulted. He was accosted “and instead of dealing with the unruly protestors, the police officers arrested him,” Kellum said.
Not only was he stopped from speaking twice, but Kellum explained Meineke was falsely arrested on two separate occasions.
Kellum said now, about two years later, Meineke is thrilled with the court's decision.
"Of course it was only fitting. It would have been terribly disappointing if the outcome was any different because clearly Mr. Meineke had his constitutional rights violated."
Officers followed the law
Kellum said as far as the officers, they legally did nothing wrong.
The court found that the Seattle Police Department had enshrined what's legally known as a Heckler's veto, which means the police had the ability to silence Mr. Meineke because his speech was seen as potentially causing negative events.
The court has found that unconstitutional and has done away with it.
Kellum said the Seattle police are now well aware they can no longer overrule a person's free speech to deal with unruly protestors.
