A group of current and former police officers who went to the “Stop the Steal” rally on January 6, 2021, are urging the U.S. Supreme Court to keep their names and actions from that day confidential. They argue that revealing their identities would lead to harassment and infringe on their right to privacy.
Their legal team submitted the petition after Washington state’s highest court ruled in February that the officers should not remain anonymous. The justices concluded that the Seattle Police Department must disclose their names once its internal probe concludes—particularly if it finds that any officers took part in the Capitol riot or engaged in violent behavior.
The petitioners, who have been using pseudonyms such as “John Doe,” say they merely attended a lawful rally. They emphasize that their attendance was peaceful and lawful, and that outing them now would chill free expression and set a dangerous precedent.
In their filing, the officers claim the case centers on whether government employers can demand that employees reveal personal political affiliations, motivations, and beliefs—especially under the threat of termination—and then release that information to the public. They warn that doing so exposes them to retaliation by groups and individuals seeking to shame or punish them despite no proven misconduct.
The Office of Police Accountability investigated four of the officers. Three were cleared of any policy violations, while the fourth’s case was inconclusive. The officers say the city of Seattle is attempting to release full records of the investigation, including compelled interviews where they were forced to talk about their politics and reasons for attending the rally.
In their appeal, they accuse city officials of smearing them publicly, pointing to statements they say link rallygoers with fascism and white supremacy. They also say their reputations have been further harmed by outside groups like the National Lawyers Guild and the National Police Accountability Project, which submitted legal briefs to the Washington court that the officers call inaccurate and defamatory.
Of the six officers involved, two—Caitlin Everett and Alexander Everett—were fired in 2021 and publicly named. The department reportedly only became aware of their presence at the rally after a photo was posted online. The then-police chief responded by ordering any officer who had attended Capitol-related events to self-report to internal investigators.
The Supreme Court is expected to respond to their request by April 25.
