The case is part of a broader campaign from pro-abortion organizations and politicians against New Jersey’s pro-life pregnancy centers.
The Supreme Court is set to a hear a New Jersey pro-life pregnancy center’s challenge to an expansive state subpoena that would force it to disclose documents and donor information.
The justices will take up First Choice Women’s Resource Centers’ appeal against New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin’s (D) subpoena, issued as part of his investigation into whether the Christian charity is violating state law and deceiving patients.
“New Jersey’s attorney general is targeting First Choice—a ministry that provides parenting classes, free ultrasounds, baby clothes, and more to its community—simply because of its pro-life views,” said Alliance Defending Freedom senior counsel Erin Hawley. Alliance Defending Freedom is representing First Choice in its litigation against Platkin.
“The Constitution protects First Choice and its donors from unjustified demands to disclose their identities, and First Choice is entitled to vindicate those rights in federal court.”
Platkin is seeking up ten years worth of documents from First Choice and a list of its nearly 5,000 donors, potentially setting them up for unlawful retaliation. First Choice is arguing that Platkin is selectively targeting the Christian nonprofit with the burdensome subpoena because of its religious speech and pro-life views.
Lower federal courts instructed First Choice to pursue its federal claims in state court first. Alliance Defending Freedom is asking the Supreme Court to allow plaintiffs to bring the federal claims without having to litigate state investigations in state courts, because First Choice’s case is a Constitutional matter.
“First Choice – a crisis pregnancy center operating in New Jersey – has for years refused to answer questions about their operations in New Jersey and the potential misrepresentations they have been making, including about reproductive healthcare,” Platkin said in a statement.
“The question before the U.S. Supreme Court focuses on whether First Choice sued prematurely, not whether our subpoena was valid. I am optimistic that we will prevail when the Supreme Court considers that question this fall. First Choice is looking for a special exception from the usual procedural rules as it tries to avoid complying with an entirely lawful state subpoena, something the U.S. Constitution does not permit it to do.”
The case is part of a broader campaign from pro-abortion organizations and politicians against New Jersey’s pro-life pregnancy centers, as NR previously reported. Planned Parenthood’s New Jersey affiliate worked with Platkin’s office to target pro-life pregnancy centers in the state by coordinating a “consumer alert” accusing pregnancy centers of misleading patients, without evidence to back it up, according to documents cited in a report from the pro-life Charlotte Lozier Institute.
National Review first reported on the Lozier Institute’s findings last year. Planned Parenthood proceeded to use the “consumer alert” in a report it crafted to discredit New Jersey’s pregnancy centers. The pro-abortion group’s report is riddled with factual inaccuracies and faulty conclusions about New Jersey pregnancy centers and the care they provide to pregnant women and new parents.
Abortion advocates have heightened their attacks on pregnancy centers since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022 with the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision.
“The Supreme Court accepting this case is good news for moms and babies and another blow to the Big Abortion lobby. Activist Attorney General Matt Platkin worked hand-in-glove with Planned Parenthood to draft a consumer alert attacking pregnancy centers, then used state resources to force First Choice to hand over private information on volunteers and donors,” said Kelsey Pritchard, political communications director for Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America.
“It’s just the latest assault from Democrats in states like New York, Massachusetts and California on centers that provide unmatched resources for millions of women during pregnancy and after birth. But the Supreme Court hasn’t looked kindly on targeting pro-life centers for censorship and compelled speech.”
Abortion advocates have heightened their attacks on pregnancy centers since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022 with the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision to send abortion legalization back to states.