Supreme Court to Review Appeal from New Jersey Faith-Based Pregnancy Center
The nation’s highest court announced on Monday that it will review an appeal filed by a New Jersey pregnancy center with deep faith-based convictions. The center is challenging a state investigation over allegations that it misled clients by implying that its services included abortion referrals.
First Choice Women’s Resource Centers is seeking to block a 2023 subpoena issued by the state’s Attorney General. The subpoena demanded detailed information about the organization’s donors, marketing practices, and medical staff, although it has not yet been served.
This review comes nearly three years after a landmark decision ended the nationwide guarantee of abortion rights. In the aftermath, many Republican-led states have enacted new restrictions, while states governed by Democrats have moved to safeguard access to reproductive services.
Legal representatives for the center insist that it operates as a faith-driven, pro-life facility designed to guide women away from choosing abortion. Such centers typically offer counseling and resources that promote alternatives to abortion.
When the center challenged the subpoena in federal court, a trial judge ruled that the matter was too preliminary to warrant judicial intervention—a decision later affirmed by an appeals court.
State officials countered by arguing that the inquiry did not cause the significant harm alleged by the center, and maintained that the lower court’s decision was proper.
According to attorneys for First Choice Women’s Resource Centers, the demand for donor information violates their First Amendment rights. They argued that state officials have, on both sides of the political spectrum, been accused of misusing their authority to target ideological opponents. Even if such claims prove unfounded, the lawyers stressed the importance of having a federal forum available for challenging expansive investigative demands.
Meanwhile, efforts by the state to enforce the subpoena in its own courts have met resistance. A state judge has so far refused to order the center to turn over the requested documents and has urged the parties to negotiate a resolution.
State attorneys contended that the case does not represent the kind of significant controversy that requires direct intervention by the Supreme Court, and they asked the justices to decline hearing the appeal.
The Court is scheduled to hear oral arguments on the matter during the fall term.
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