A federal judge is considering a lawsuit filed by St. Michael’s Media (Church Militant) against the City of Baltimore after the city canceled the group’s planned rally at a city-owned pavilion. The rally was scheduled to coincide with the US bishops’ November meeting there.

“The city says the gathering poses a threat to public safety, claiming the fringe group cheered on rioters who stormed the U.S. Capitol in January,” the Associated Press reported. City attorneys argued that “with a police department already stretched thin with a well-documented police officer shortage, the decision to cancel an event featuring a speaker who invites additional demonstrators, counter demonstrators, expenses, and potential violence is more than reasonable.”