Supreme Court agrees to hear appeal from New Jersey faith-based
pregnancy center
[June 17, 2025]
By LINDSAY WHITEHURST
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court said Monday it will hear from a
faith-based pregnancy center in New Jersey challenging a state
investigation into whether it misled people into thinking its services
included referrals for abortion.
The justices agreed to consider an appeal from First Choice Women’s
Resource Centers, which wants to block a 2023 subpoena from Democratic
New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin seeking information about
the crisis pregnancy center's donors, advertisements and medical
personnel. It has not yet been enforced.
The Supreme Court agreed to hear the case nearly three years after
overturning abortion as a nationwide right. Since then, most
Republican-controlled states have started enforcing new bans or
restrictions, and most Democrat-dominated ones have sought to protect
abortion access.
Attorneys for First Choice Women’s Resource Centers had described the
organization as a “faith-based, pro-life pregnancy center.” Crisis
pregnancy centers generally try to steer women facing an unwanted
pregnancy away from choosing an abortion.
The group challenged the subpoena in federal court, but a judge found
that the case wasn’t yet far enough along to weigh in. An appeals court
agreed.
First Choice Women’s Resource Centers appealed to the Supreme Court,
saying the push for donor information had chilled its First Amendment
rights.
Meanwhile, Platkin has sought to enforce the subpoena in state court,
but the judge there has so far refused the state’s push to require the
group to turn over documents and told the two sides to negotiate
instead.
Platkin, who had urged the justices to pass on the case, said the
organization has long refused to answer questions about its operations
and potential misrepresentations about reproductive health care.
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The Supreme Court is seen in Washington, Nov. 2, 2024. (AP Photo/J.
Scott Applewhite, File)
“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,” he said Monday. “No industry is entitled to
that type of special treatment — period.”
First Choice argued that attorneys general on both sides of the
political aisle have been accused of misusing investigative
authority and defendants must be able to challenge their demands in
federal court.
The pregnancy center is represented by the group Alliance Defending
Freedom.
“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,” attorney Erin Hawley said. "We are looking forward to
presenting our case to the Supreme Court."
The court will hear arguments in the case in the fall.
___
Associated Press writer Mike Catalini in Trenton, N.J., contributed
to this story.
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