A federal judge has dismissed the lawsuit challenging the New York City Police Department’s surveillance of Muslim-Americans in New Jersey.
Judge William Martini ruled that the plaintiffs did not show that the NYPD had discriminated against them when it spied on mosques and other organizations.
The judge claimed that the plaintiffs did not plead facts sufficient to claim discrimination.
The plaintiffs are six Muslim individuals, two Muslim-owned businesses, mosques and a student association at Rutgers University, all from New Jersey.
They claimed that the NYPD surveillance program diminished religious expression, employment prospects and revenue.
The 2012 lawsuit was the first to challenge the NYPD’s surveillance, which began in 2002 and was revealed to the public by the Associated Press in August of 2011.
The federal judge wrote that the injuries that the plaintiffs sustained only occurred after the Associated Press began reporting the details of them.
The plaintiffs promised an appeal.
“It’s an outrage,” said Baher Azmy, a plaintiff who is part of the Center for Constitutional Rights. “Muslims are entitled to all the protections of the Constitution, just like any other individuals in this country, and to be singled out in this reckless a manner is deeply problematic.”
The police commissioner said that he wasn’t aware of a ruling.
NY1 reached out to the city Department of Law, which declined comment.
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