The officers asked for the justices to stay a ruling from the Washington Supreme Court that said their identities could be revealed. The officers had sued the Seattle Police Department four years ago in King County Superior Court, identifying themselves as “John Does 1-4,” challenging the release of their names and details of an internal investigation into their attendance at the violent “Stop the Steal” political protest rally in Washington, D.C.

On Wednesday, U.S. Justice Samuel Alito authored a statement denying their request for an emergency action to keep them anonymous, writing the officers “have not adequately explained why at this point they still face an imminent danger of irreparable harm.”

That denial, Alito noted, was not necessarily an endorsement of the state Supreme Court’s decision or its interpretation of the First Amendment.