Cops ask federal judge to compel Capitol architect to 'follow the law' and install years-delayed Jan. 6 memorial plaque

Source: Law & Crime

Dec 26th, 2025, 12:08 pm


The plaintiffs in a federal lawsuit are imploring a federal court to "compel" the architect of the U.S. Capitol Complex to "follow the law" and install a memorial plaque honoring police officers who protected the national legislative seat of government on Jan. 6, 2021.

In June of this year, former U.S. Capitol Police officer Harry Dunn and Metropolitan Police Officer Daniel Hodges sued Architect of the Capitol Thomas Austin. The lawsuit aims to force Austin, who was appointed by Congress in June 2024, to hang the plaque in question – in line with the mandates of a law passed by Congress in 2022.

Then came an intervention from convicted and pardoned rioters who insisted any such plaque should be "inclusive" and "recognize the experiences" of the pro-Donald Trump mob responsible for the riot. While Dunn and Hodges previously rubbished the arguments made by the parties seeking inclusivity on the plaque, they are now pushing back against a motion to dismiss filed by the Capitol architect himself.

"Harry Dunn and Daniel Hodges were among the officers who protected the Capitol from rioters on January 6, 2021," the latest motion begins. "For their bravery, they and their fellow officers were to be honored with a plaque at the Capitol, to be installed by March 15, 2023. Years since that deadline passed, the plaque is not installed, and Officers Dunn and Hodges seek to have the Architect of the Capitol comply with the law and ensure that history is not forgotten."

Read more: https://lawandcrime.com/high-profile/making-sure-that-history-is-not-rewritten-cops-ask-federal-judge-to-compel-capitol-architect-to-follow-the-law-and-install-years-delayed-jan-6-memorial-plaque/