Dennis Melby Reports

On June 25, 2025 reporter Matthew Foldi, Montgomery County and Bethany Mandel, MCPS Board Member Candidate in 2026, settled a lawsuit they filed against the Montgomery County Public Schools System for violating their First Amendment rights. A ruling from the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland that found MCPS’s “Staff Pride” affinity group may have violated their First Amendment rights by denying them the right to attend and report on a meeting that was being held by MCPS. Their lawsuit was filed by America First Legal on their behalf. Judge Paula Xinis, an Obama appointee, ruled in their favor.

In denying MCPS’s motion to dismiss Mandel’s claim, the judge stated, “Mandel was iced out while others who shared the Pride Members’ views and supported the MCPS policies were not similarly restricted.” The court further held that the “Pride Members’” argument that they were protected by qualified immunity “flies in the face of binding precedent available to [them] at the time.” Foldi was prevented from accessing the hearing as a journalist, covering the event for The Washington Reporter.  Foldi noted that, "For better or worse, what happens in Montgomery County foreshadows what liberal jurisdictions aspire to do across America, and these cases serve as warnings that if you violate the constitutional rights of your citizens, you will lose in court."

MCPS chose to settle the duo’s lawsuit rather than allowing it to go to trial. 

Days later, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Montgomery County Parents and against the public school system noting that parents have the right to opt out of curricula for their elementary school children focused on LGBTQ+ issues. 

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