Sarah Huckabee Sanders was recently denied service at The Red Hen, a restaurant in Virginia, and she was hardly the only one.
In recent weeks, members of the Trump administration have received a barrage of harassment, as the media continues to push its narrative that the administration is “separating families.”
First, DHS Secretary Kristjen Nielsen was harassed while eating dinner at a Mexican restaurant. (RELATED: Socialist Activist Who Harassed DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen Works For the DOJ). Days later, protesters showed up at her house. (RELATED: Liberals Protesters Harass DHS Sec. Nielsen at Her Own Home). Trump policy adviser Stephen Miller faced a similar protest when he was eating at a Mexican restaurant, and his personal cell phone number was leaked last week. Inevitably, protesters also showed up at his house.
But protesters aside, what if the restaurants themselves want to protest like they did against Sanders, and refuse service?
On that note, there’s some good news for members of the Trump team. While The Red Hen, which resides in Virginia, didn’t break any laws in refusing service to Sanders, the laws are different within Washington, D.C.
According to Law & Crime: David Cole, National Legal Director of the ACLU, told them that “Public accommodations laws vary from state to state (and city to city), but they generally bar businesses open to the public from refusing service to individuals based on certain protected characteristics.” He continued. “All protect against race discrimination, most protect against sex discrimination, some protect against sexual orientation discrimination, etc.”
Of political leanings, he said that “only three jurisdictions protect against discriminatory refusals of service based on political affiliation or opinion,” However, one of them is in Washington, D.C. (the other two are Seattle and the Virgin Islands).
While the Red Hen, in particular, didn’t violate any laws, any restaurants in the nation’s Capitol that feel inspired by their lead could find themselves facing consequences if they do so. In particular, “they could be held in violation of D.C. Code Section 2-1402.31, which bars discriminatory actions against people in whole or in part due to characteristics including race, religion, nationality, sex, age, and more, including political affiliation.”
D.C. restaurants should be on notice next time a member of the Trump administration walks through their doors. If they are denied service simply because they work for the president, they could have a major lawsuit on their hands.
