President Trump's Justice Department issued an order to limit prosecutions against individuals accused of blocking access to abortion clinics and reproductive health centers, characterizing such cases as the 'weaponization' of law enforcement. The order restricts prosecutions under the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act (FACE Act) to 'extraordinary circumstances' or cases with 'significant aggravating factors.' This move represents a significant departure from the Biden administration's approach, which pursued cases against numerous defendants accused of violating the FACE Act.
Justice Department curtails prosecutions for blocking access to reproductive health centersBy ALANNA DURKIN RICHER and CHRISTINE FERNANDOAssociated PressThe Associated PressWASHINGTON WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s new Justice Department leadership issued an order Friday to curtail prosecutions against people accused of blocking access to abortion clinics and reproductive health centers, calling the cases an example of the “weaponization” of law enforcement.
Prosecutions and civil actions under the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act or “FACE Act” will now be permitted only in “extraordinary circumstances” or in cases presenting ”significant aggravating factors,” attorney general chief of staff Chad Mizelle said in a memo sent to the head of the department’s Civil Rights Division. The memo signals a sharp departure from Justice Department under the Biden administration, which brought cases involving dozens of defendants accused of violating the law. The act prohibits physically obstructing or using the threat of force to intimidate or interfere with a person seeking reproductive health services, and prohibits damaging property at abortion clinics and other centers. The legal group Thomas More Society, which represents many of the defendants, called the move a “huge moment in the fight against FACE.” “In each of these three FACE Act cases, Thomas More Society attorneys were representing several brave and peaceful pro-life defendants — who can now breathe easy without the heavy burden of federal prosecutors on their backs,”The announcement comes hours after Trump vowed to support tens of thousands of anti-abortion protesters at Friday’s March for Life, declaring, “We will again stand proudly for families and for life” in a prerecorded address. A day earlier, Trump pardonedconvicted of blockading abortion clinic entrances in violation of the FACE Act, which is designed to protect abortion clinics from obstruction and threats. “President Donald Trump campaigned on the promise of ending the weaponization of the federal government and has recently directed all federal departments and agencies to identify and correct the past weaponization of law enforcement,” Mizelle wrote in the memo obtained by The Associated Press. “To many Americans, prosecutions and civil actions under the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act have been the prototypical example of this weaponization. And with good reason,” he wrote.said “more than 100 crisis pregnancy centers, pro-life organizations, and churches were attacked in the immediate aftermath” of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling thatVice President JD Vance, who spoke to the crowd at the March for Life in person, celebrated pardons for FACE Act defendants and called Trump “the most pro-life American president of our lifetimes.” Abortion-rights advocates slammed Trump’s pardons of those convicted of violating the law, which was passed in 1994 during a time where clinic protests and blockades were on the rise, as was “Not even a week into his presidency, Donald Trump has disregarded the law and greenlit violence against abortion providers, all at the expense of people who wish to live in peace and safely exercise the right to control their own bodies and health,” Krista Noah, national director of affiliate security and response planning at Planned Parenthood Federation of America, said Thursday.Calif. Dem. Warns Trump to Not 'Play Politics' After His $50M Anti-TrumpTrump Effect: Some Palisades Residents Visit Homes for First Time Since Fire After President’s VisitIMF Chief Tells Europe’s Davos Elites: Let’s Be More Like the U.S.Rubio threatens bounties on Taliban leaders over detained Americans
FACE Act Reproductive Health Abortion Prosecutions Trump Administration
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Justice Department resolves investigation of Antioch Police Department over racist textsDennis Romero is a breaking news reporter for NBC News Digital.
Read more »
Justice Department Investigates Antioch Police Department for DiscriminationThe U.S. Justice Department is investigating the Antioch Police Department in California for alleged discriminatory conduct against members of the public. The investigation was prompted by leaked text messages containing racial slurs, celebrations of police brutality, and homophobic language.
Read more »
California Police Department Agrees to Reforms After Racist Texts ScandalThe Department of Justice previously launched a probe into the police department's text messages.
Read more »
Few think Trump's FBI and Justice Department will act fairly: AP-NORC pollAs President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for attorney general, Pam Bondi, gets set for her Senate confirmation hearings, only about 2 in 10 U.S. adults are “extremely” or “very” confident the Justice Department will act in a fair and nonpartisan manner during his second term.
Read more »
Justice Department Seeks to Lift Order Barring Commuted Jan. 6 Defendants from DC and CapitolThe Justice Department filed a motion to lift the order barring commuted Jan. 6 defendants from entering Washington, D.C., and the Capitol building. The order, issued by a federal judge, applied to specific defendants whose sentences were commuted but not those who received pardons. Acting U.S. Attorney Edward Martin also filed a motion to lift all release conditions on the defendants.
Read more »
Justice Department will scale back prosecutions of antiabortion protesters who block access to clinicsThe change reflects President Donald Trump’s position that abortion clinic protesters have been unfairly prosecuted under the FACE Act.
Read more »