Reading Room Document
Legal questions concerning restrictions on and arrest of demonstrators at O'Hare Field
The Secret Service asked the OLC about its authority to restrict demonstrators at the military complex adjacent to O’Hare Field in Chicago. The OLC opined that the base commander could not prevent certain people from attending a political rally open to the public and could not subject people to searches without probable cause, even if signs warned them that they were subject to being searched. The OLC also informed the base commander that the Chicago Police Department would not have jurisdiction to arrest attendees at the base because the base is within the exclusive jurisdiction of the federal government.
The OLC's Opinions
Opinions published by the OLC, including those released in response to our FOIA lawsuit