An appeals court has ruled that a federal lawsuit filed by a Black pastor in Alabama, who was arrested while watering his neighbor’s flowers, can proceed, reversing an earlier dismissal by a lower court. Pastor Michael Jennings had been arrested in 2018 by Childersburg police officers after a 911 call reported suspicious activity at the home. Despite the fact that Jennings had been asked by his neighbor to water the plants while they were out of town, he was taken into custody when he refused to show identification to the responding officers.

The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta determined that the officers lacked “even arguable probable cause” to arrest Jennings. The court’s decision contradicted an earlier ruling by U.S. District Judge R. David Proctor, who had dismissed the case, asserting that Jennings’ refusal to provide his full name obstructed the officers’ investigation. However, the appeals court concluded that Jennings was under no legal obligation to present identification, and as a result, his arrest for obstructing government operations was unjustified. The ruling allows Jennings to continue pursuing his claims of unlawful arrest and civil rights violations.

Jennings, who described feeling dehumanized and helpless during the arrest, welcomed the decision. His legal team, led by civil rights attorney Harry Daniels, hailed the ruling as a “win for justice.” Daniels pointed to police bodycam footage as clear evidence that the officers had decided to arrest Jennings without probable cause within minutes of arriving at the scene. “These officers tried to rewrite history,” Daniels said, noting that Jennings had identified himself early in the encounter.

The arrest has had lasting financial repercussions for Jennings, whose son said his father’s finances had already been strained for years. Building the lawsuit has further drained Jennings’ resources, forcing him to rely on community support to fund his legal fight. In a GoFundMe post, Jennings’ family stressed that the goal of the fundraiser was not to enrich them, but to ensure that Pastor Jennings could continue to support his family and ministry while seeking justice in court.