📢 Independence Day Press Release 🎆

Disabled Iraq Veteran Sues Oregon Officials Over Retaliation and Civil Rights Violations

Eugene, Oregon – On July 3rd, 2025, Logan Martin Isaac, a disabled Iraq War veteran and long-time advocate for military families, filed a federal civil rights lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon. The lawsuit alleges coordinated retaliation and discrimination by Oregon lawmakers and state agencies in response to Isaac’s protected advocacy for military civil rights legislation.

The complaint (Case No. 6:25-cv-01159-MC) details how Isaac, an Albany resident, was banned from the Oregon State Capitol and targeted by Oregon State Police after expressing frustration over legislative delays in bills addressing anti-military bias and hate crime protections. Isaac claims he was punished for speaking to the press and engaging in lawful advocacy, violating his First and Fourteenth Amendment rights.

The complaint names several high-profile defendants including Senator James Manning Jr., Representative Shelly Boshart Davis, and the Oregon Department of Justice. It includes counts for First Amendment retaliation, due process violations, equal protection claims, and conspiracy under the so-called KKK Acts, 42 U.S.C. §§ 1983 and 1985(3). Isaac’s lawsuit is believed to be the first of its kind asserting military families as a federally protected class under the Soldiers Amendment to the Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2009.

“This case is about more than me,” said Isaac. “It’s about the right of all military families to advocate for equal dignity and legal protection without facing political retaliation. For too long, civilian institutions have treated us as disposable.”

The lawsuit also highlights the state’s failure to enforce federal hate crime protections for service members, citing multiple incidents, such as the unsolved arson of Albany’s American Legion Post 10, that were never prosecuted as hate crimes despite clear evidence of bias.

Supporting documentation and timeline available at GIJustice.com/record.