Elizabeth Warren dismissed from lawsuit over Twitter posts about Covington Catholic students

Kevin Grasha | Cincinnati Enquirer

A federal judge has dismissed Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren and a New Mexico congresswoman from a libel lawsuit filed on behalf of eight Covington Catholic High School students present during a now-infamous encounter on the National Mall.

The lawsuit, filed in August, named Warren, Rep. Debra Haaland and 10 other public figures – including comedian Kathy Griffin – claiming they made defamatory comments about the students.

The eight unnamed students – identified as the "Covington Boys" in the suit – were present during the January encounter with Native Americans in Washington D.C. Some students chanted and performed a tomahawk chop.

U.S. District Judge William Bertelsman on Tuesday dismissed only Warren and Haaland, citing federal law that gives them immunity for acting in their official capacities.

Warren, a U.S. senator from Massachusetts, tweeted that a Native American man at the center of the encounter "endured hateful taunts."

Haaland, one of the first Native American women elected to Congress, tweeted about the man "being harassed and mocked by a group of MAGA hat-wearing teens."

Bertelsman said those statements were made within the scope of their jobs as elected representatives.

In a written opinion, he wrote: "The court concludes that the…statements by defendants Warren and Haaland – whether one agrees with them or finds them objectionable – are communications intended to convey the politicians' views on matters of public interest to their constituents."

Bertelsman did not exercise jurisdiction over the claims against the other 10 defendants, which include Griffin and several journalists. The case will continue in Kenton County Circuit Court, where the lawsuit was filed.