In this case it is a class-action lawsuit filed by the ACLU on behalf of the journalists. The lead plaintiff is a journalist who was shot by the police while covering a protest.
Class-action lawsuits in the USA often end up being settled with little or no real action. I hope for better here but I'm not going to hold my breath on it.
When ACLU brings a lawsuit on behalf of an individual, it’s common for the government to moot the lawsuit by changing the treatment of that one person, or offering a settlement to that one person, or even deporting that person, without changing its behavior in general. A class action means the government can’t avoid the lawsuit that way.
What you’re saying is a real issue in general, but not relevant to class actions as used as a civil rights tactic by ACLU.
The suit is only asking for some money and for the Court to order the state to stop breaking the law even though the state presumably believes it is not breaking the law
