A plaque honoring officers who defended the Capitol on January 6, 2021 was finally installed on the Senate side of the Capitol hallway, three years after Congress first ordered it.

Senate Republicans, led by Sen. Thom Tillis, pushed for the installation with unanimous Senate support after House Speaker Mike Johnson delayed the process.

A 2022 law commissioned the plaque and directed both chambers’ leaders to oversee its installation, though Johnson claimed the law was not implementable, contributing to the delay.

The broader context includes the riot’s impact, more than 1,500 prosecutions, and ongoing political debate over how to recognize the officers’ service.

The January 6 attack involved thousands of Trump supporters, injured more than 140 officers from various agencies, and temporarily halted congressional certification of Biden’s victory.

The riot followed false claims of election fraud by then-President Trump and led to widespread scrutiny of accountability and memorializing the events.

CNN’s reporting is cited in examining the memorial project and its coverage.

Hodges indicated the lawsuit would continue, seeking a statute-compliant memorial protected from tampering.

The final report of the now-defunct House January 6 select committee concluded that Trump incited the violence, providing context for the memorial’s existence.

Two officers, including Daniel Hodges, who sued over the missing plaque, argue the installation is only a partial remedy and will continue the lawsuit for full compliance with the statute.

Hodges described the overnight installation as temporary and stressed the need for full statutory compliance, with his lawsuit ongoing.

More than 140 officers were injured and five died in the weeks after the attack, and the plaque aims to ensure the event’s history is not forgotten.