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.
Attorneys for First Choice Women’s Resource Centers had described the organization as a “faith-based, pro-life pregnancy center.”
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.
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."
