Judge permanently shuts the door on Trump DOJ’s Reflecting Pool case against ex-Olympian
BS BULLETIN:
- A D.C. judge has permanently dismissed the case against former Olympic canoeist David Hearn over alleged damage to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
- DOJ had already moved to drop the charge after evidence showed the damage came from a contractor’s flawed installation.
- The judge dismissed the case “with prejudice,” meaning prosecutors cannot bring the same case back later.
The federal case against former Olympian David Hearn is not just dead.
It’s staying dead.
D.C. Superior Court Judge Todd Edelman permanently dismissed the felony property-destruction case against Hearn, who had been accused of damaging the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
The key words in the ruling are “with prejudice.” That means the U.S. Attorney’s Office cannot simply revive the same prosecution later.
The Justice Department had already moved to dismiss the charge this summer after receiving evidence from the Interior Department showing that problems with the pool’s lining were caused by a contractor’s “flawed installation,” rather than criminal vandalism.
Hearn, 67, a retired three-time Olympic canoeist, had been charged with felony destruction of property after a June incident at the Reflecting Pool. He maintained that he merely touched a loose portion of the lining while riding his bicycle nearby.
Prosecutors later acknowledged evidence showing the damage stemmed from installation failures and moved to dismiss the indictment. But the government initially sought dismissal without prejudice — which would have left open the possibility of bringing charges again.
Hearn’s attorneys pushed back, asking Edelman to permanently end the case after President Trump and administration officials continued publicly criticizing the decision to drop it.
Edelman has now done exactly that.
According to the Associated Press, the judge noted that the government had ultimately acknowledged that “no crime had occurred.”
Whatever happened to the Reflecting Pool lining, David Hearn will not be prosecuted for it again.
MY QUICK TAKE
When the government eventually reaches the point of saying no crime happened, “maybe we’ll prosecute you again later” is a pretty tough sell.
The judge apparently thought so too.
DBS WIRE SOURCES
- Mediaite — Judge bars Trump DOJ from reviving Reflecting Pool case
- Associated Press — Judge permanently dismisses case against former Olympian
- Axios — Judge kills failed Reflecting Pool case
- Bloomberg Law — DOJ moved to drop case after contractor evidence emerged
