Home » Class Actions » Class Action – Government Accountability » CHC v. Noem

Chicago Headline Club, et al v. Noem, et al

During the summer of 2025, the Trump Administration deployed federal forces—including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Customs and Border Patrol (CBP), and other Department of Homeland Security agents—to cities across the United States with announced missions to deter crime and enforce immigration laws. These federal agents, however, have used violent force against the press, elected officials, religious leaders, and private individuals engaged in peaceful and protected activities.

CHC v. Noem is a federal lawsuit arguing that this wanton violence by the federal government is a blatant attempt to interfere with the most cherished and fundamental rights enshrined in the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of religious belief, and the right to peaceably assemble and express disagreement with the government.

The lawsuit is being brought by members of the press, as well as by individuals representing clergy and ordinary citizens who have chosen to speak in opposition to the Trump Administration’s policies, and who now come together to courageously stand up for the First Amendment rights of all Americans.

At a Glance

Who is affected?

Anyone protesting, observing, or documenting federal actions under “Operation Midway Blitz” in the Northern District of Illinois (including Cook, DuPage, McHenry, Grundy, Kane, Kendall, LaSalle, Lake, Will, Boone, Carroll, DeKalb, Jo Daviess, Lee, Ogle, Stephenson, Whiteside, and Winnebago counties).

What it’s about

Protesters, members of the media, and religious leaders filed a lawsuit alleging that federal agents are using excessive force—including tear gas, flash-bang grenades, pepper balls, and other so-called “less-lethal” crowd control weapon—against peaceful protests and other activities protected by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. The lawsuit accuses the agencies of deliberately attempting to suppress free speech and discourage dissent.

Current stage

On November 6, 2025 a federal judge issued a preliminary injunction, forbidding the use of force against journalists and peaceful protesters and strictly limiting the manner and place in which chemical agents may be deployed. It also requires federal troops to wear visible identification (names or numbers), and body-cameras. This injunction will stay in place until the lawsuit can be settled in federal court. The trial is scheduled to begin March 2, 2025.

Parties

The plaintiffs in this case include: media outlets like Block Club Chicago, Chicago Headline Club, the Chicago Newspaper Guild Local 34071, the National Association of Broadcast Employees & Technicians Local 54041; individual reporters; members of the clergy; and ordinary protesters, observers, and bystanders whose free-speech has been suppressed, intimidated, or chilled under Operation Midway Blitz.

The complaint names as defendants Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Kristi Noem; officials of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE); officials of Customs and Border Patrol (CBP); the Attorney General of the United States Pam Bondi; individual agents of ICE, CBP, DHS, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), and the Department of Justice who have largely concealed their identities and culpability behind masks; and Donald Trump, President of the United States.

The plaintiffs are represented by attorneys from Loevy + Loevy, the Community Justice and Civil Rights Clinic at the Northwestern Pritzker School of Law, the Mandel Legal Aid Clinic of the University of Chicago School of Law, First Defense Legal Aid, Protect Democracy, and the ACLU of Illinois.

Report Violations of Your First Amendment Rights

You have a protected right under the First Amendement to the U.S. Constitution to protest and record law enforcement officers, including federal agents, provided you do not interfere with the performance of their job-related duties.

To report violations of your First Amendment rights by federal troops in Chicago or the surrounding region, go to: