{"id":6000,"date":"2026-06-30T18:01:26","date_gmt":"2026-06-30T18:01:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/?p=6000"},"modified":"2026-06-30T18:01:26","modified_gmt":"2026-06-30T18:01:26","slug":"man-wins-50k-lawsuit-after-protesting-trolling-national-guard-with-darth-vader-theme-song","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/?p=6000","title":{"rendered":"Man wins $50K lawsuit after protesting, trolling national guard with Darth Vader theme song"},"content":{"rendered":"<div><div><div>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5999\" height=\"432\" src=\"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/720a7f03ad212b7e15d65f5f08a4973c.webp\" width=\"764\" srcset=\"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/720a7f03ad212b7e15d65f5f08a4973c.webp 764w, https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/720a7f03ad212b7e15d65f5f08a4973c-300x170.webp 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 764px) 100vw, 764px\" \/><\/figure>\n <span>article<\/span><\/div> <div><div><p><span>FILE-A member of the National Guard patrols along the rim of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool following the completion of recent renovations in Washington, D.C., on June 22, 2026. (Photo by Kent Nishimura \/ AFP via Getty Images)<\/span> <!-- --><\/p><p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/?p=5997\">Expect a massive state trooper presence on Texas roads this Fourth of July weekend<\/a><\/p> <!-- --><\/div><\/div> <!-- --><\/div> <!-- --> <!-- --><p>A man won a $50,000 lawsuit after he accused police officers of unlawfully detaining him for following an Ohio National Guard patrol while playing Darth Vader\u2019s theme song from &#8220;Star Wars&#8221; on his cellphone.<br\/><br\/>The District of Columbia agreed to pay Sam O\u2019Hara the money to settle his lawsuit, according to a settlement document obtained by the Associated Press. The American Civil Liberties Union of the District of Columbia represents him.\u00a0<\/p> <p><strong>RELATED:<\/strong><strong>\u00a0<u>National Guard troops to remain in DC through 2026<\/u><\/strong><\/p> <!-- --><p>O\u2019Hara sued Washington, D.C., four Metropolitan Police Department officers and a guard member from Ohio over what he alleged was his act of protest against President Donald Trump&#8217;s federal law enforcement surge in the nation\u2019s capital.\u00a0<\/p> <!-- --><div><\/div> <!-- --><h2>What was the protest lawsuit about?<\/h2> <!-- --><p>The backstory:<\/p> <!-- --><p>In October 2025, Sam O\u2019Hara\u00a0<u>sued<\/u>Washington, D.C., alleging police officers violated his First Amendment rights to free speech and his Fourth Amendment rights against seizures and excessive force, according to a court document.<\/p><p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/?p=5992\">Texas leaders react after Supreme Court upholds birthright citizenship<\/a><\/p> <!-- --><p>O\u2019Hara played &#8220;The Imperial March&#8221; theme from &#8220;Star Wars&#8221; on his phone as he followed several National Guard troops down a street on Sept. 11, 2025.\u00a0<\/p> <!-- --><p>According to the lawsuit, one of the troops called police officers, who stopped O\u2019Hara and kept him handcuffed for 15 to 20 minutes before releasing him without charges.<\/p><p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/?p=5989\">Pearland police search for suspect who assaulted, robbed 79-year-old at Walgreens<\/a><\/p> <!-- --> <!-- --><p><br\/><br\/>\u00a0<\/p> <!-- --> <!-- --> <\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The District of Columbia has agreed to a $50,000 settlement to resolve a lawsuit from a man who claimed police detained him for playing Darth Vader&#8217;s theme song while following an Ohio National Guard patrol.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5998,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28,116],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6000","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-money","category-washington-d-c"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.5 - 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