This fall, the U.S. Supreme Court will rule on whether crisis pregnancy centers can be free from state harassment. The New Jersey Attorney General (Platkin) served First Choice Women’s Resources Center with a subpoena demanding it identify—by name—the donors behind nearly 5,000 donations and produce more than 10 years’ worth of documents containing information about the pregnancy center’s clients, staff, and every solicitation and advertisement it published. The AG cited no violations of law, only a vague accusation that First Choice was misleading clients and donors.
CLS just submitted an amici brief encouraging the Court to clarify that a claim “should be found ripe in federal courts when injury based on First Amendment interests has been clearly and adequately alleged.” As it stands now, hostile AGs can misuse prosecutorial tools like a subpoena while delaying enforcement orders, thereby causing injury without triggering federal review.
Multiple crisis pregnancy centers joined CLS’ Center for Law & Religious Freedom in this amicus brief. First Choice Women’s Resources Center, Inc. v. Platkin will materially impact them all.
