Judge Limits Police Pepperball Use on Protester
The limited order applies to Kathleen Cavalaro and is tied to police conduct during the June 2025 downtown protest.
Updated on Nov. 2, 2026 in Law Enforcement
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Residents who took part in the June 2025 downtown Las Vegas protests against immigration enforcement now have a court limit on how police can use pepperballs against at least one of them. A federal judge ordered the limited injunction on Saturday, applying it to Kathleen Cavalaro.
Why it matters
The order follows a June 2025 protest in which over 100 people were arrested, and the Las Vegas city attorney's office later declined to prosecute 90 of them. The judge criticized Metro's protest tactics, raising questions about how police handle dispersal orders in the downtown core.
The federal order covers one named protester, Kathleen Cavalaro, while 90 of the more than 100 people arrested in June 2025 were not prosecuted by the city attorney's office. Metro also paid a $325,000 settlement to Karlin Martinez, and the stub does not indicate how many other claims remain pending.
The players
Chief U.S. District Judge Andrew Gordon
Federal judge who issued the limited injunction and criticized Metro's protest tactics in the ruling.
Las Vegas city attorney's office
Office that declined to prosecute 90 of the more than 100 protesters arrested in June 2025.
Metropolitan Police Department
Local police agency whose officers arrested Cavalaro and reached a $325,000 settlement with Karlin Martinez.
The details
Chief U.S. District Judge Andrew Gordon issued the limited injunction on Saturday, barring Las Vegas police from using pepperballs against Cavalaro unless she is assaultive or poses an immediate public safety threat. Officers had shot her in the back with a pepperball as she followed their command to leave, then pursued her down the sidewalk and zip-tied her hands behind her back under Metro's policy of ending a protest after a dispersal order. Judge Gordon wrote that Metro does not appear to adequately recognize the wrongfulness of the officers' conduct.
Timeline
June 2025: thousands gathered downtown to oppose immigration enforcement tactics, and over 100 people were arrested.
Saturday, November 1, 2026: Judge Gordon ordered the injunction for Cavalaro.
Beyond the Strip
The injunction names a single protester rather than setting a broad rule for all Las Vegas demonstrations. The extraction does not identify a prior Nevada ruling or ordinance that this order extends or reverses.
If you were downtown during the June 2025 protests, the court order may affect how officers can respond to you if you are not assaultive or a public safety threat. Anyone planning to attend a downtown demonstration should know that Metro's dispersal-order policy applies, and that prosecution outcomes varied widely for those arrested.
The takeaway
The order protects one named protester for now, but the 90 declined prosecutions show how uneven the June arrests were. Watch for further rulings in the case and any Metro policy changes on dispersal orders.
Further reading
For background on how police and courts handle public demonstrations, see Law Enforcement coverage across the valley.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Las Vegas Review-Journal.
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