Supreme Court agrees to hear appeal from New Jersey faith-based pregnancy center
The Supreme Court said Monday it will hear from a faith-based pregnancy center in New Jersey challenging a state investigation alleging 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 New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin seeking information about donors, advertisements and medical personnel. It has not yet been served.
Attorneys for First Choice Women's Resource Centers describe the organization as a 'faith-based, pro-life pregnancy center." The organization generally seek to 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.
'State attorneys general on both sides of the political aisle have been accused of misusing this authority to issue demands against their ideological and political opponents," its lawyers wrote. 'Even if these accusations turn out to be false, it is important that a federal forum exists for suits challenging those investigative demands.'.
Meanwhile, Platkin, a Democrat, 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.
The state asked the justices to pass on the case, saying the it doesn't present the kind of significant lower-court controversy that requires the justices to step in.
'The decision below is correct and does not have the impacts petitioner alleges,' state attorneys wrote.
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They were the bright lights at the center of our lives, and we can't believe they are gone. Their love for us was boundless. We miss them so much.' 'We want everyone to know that we are both safe and with loved ones. We are grateful for the outpouring of love and support we have received, and we appreciate your respect for our family's privacy as we grieve.' 'Our family would like to thank law enforcement for their swift action that saved others and for the coordination across communities that led to the arrest of the man who murdered our parents. We especially would like to thank the officers who were first on the scene to our parents' home and their heroic attempts to rescue our mom and dad.' 'Our parents touched so many lives, and they leave behind an incredible legacy of dedication to their community that will live on in us, their friends, their colleagues and co-workers, and every single person who knew and loved them.' If you would like to honor the memory of Mark and Melissa, please consider the following: Plant a tree. Visit a local park and make use of their amenities, especially a bike trail. Pet a dog. A golden retriever is ideal, but any will do. Tell your loved ones a cheesy dad joke and laugh about it. Bake something — bread for Mark or a cake for Melissa, and share it with someone. Try a new hobby and enjoy learning something. Stand up for what you believe in, especially if that thing is justice and peace. 'Hope and resilience are the enemy of fear. Our parents lived their lives with immense dedication to their fellow humans. This tragedy must become a moment for us to come together. Hold your loved ones a little closer. Love your neighbors. Treat each other with kindness and respect. The best way to honor our parents' memory is to do something, whether big or small, to make our community just a little better for someone else.' Josh Marcus17 June 2025 03:01 Leader of Minnesota House calls on colleagues to 'set the tone' and show respectful bipartisanship Lisa Demuth, the Republican Speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives, is calling on her colleagues of both parties to 'set the tone' and follow the example of her predecessor, the well-regarded Rep. Melissa Hortman, who was killed in Saturday's shootings. 'We got along really well, and it's because she started building that working relationship over the years,' Demuth told the Minnesota StarTribune on Monday. 'Without that happening, it would have made this year a lot harder.' 'This person is completely a monster,' Demuth added of alleged gunman Vance Boelter. 'No rational agreement or disagreement on any type of policy should ever lead to something like this.' Josh Marcus17 June 2025 02:30 'Unconscionable': Minnesota senator's staff slams Mike Lee over mocking posts A senior staff member for Senator Tina Smith of Minnesota slammed Utah Senator Mike Lee over his posts appearing to mock the recent shooting of Democratic state lawmakers in Minnesota, as well as claim without evidence their killings were a Marxist attack. In an email, obtained by Politico, the staff member called the posts 'unconscionable.' 'Why would you use the awesome power of a United States Senate Office to compound people's grief,' the official wrote. 'Is this how your team measures success? Using the office of [a] US Senator to post not just one but a series of jokes about an assassination — is that a successful day of work on Team Lee?' 17 June 2025 02:00 Trump still hasn't called Minnesota governor, but Vance has Three days after shootings targeted state lawmakers, President Trump still hasn't reached out to Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, the Democrat said on Monday. Walz, who served as the vice presidential nominee on the Democratic ticket against Trump in 2024, said he wasn't surprised. 'I think I understand where that's at,' Walz told MPR. 'I did speak to Vice President Vance, grateful for that call.' 'I'm always open to you know, people expressing gratitude,' he added. 'Vice President Vance assured us, and he delivered, that the FBI would be there as partners with us to get it done. That was what needed to be done.' Trump can't resist dig at Tim Walz while discussing Minnesota lawmaker assassinations Trump had not called govenor more than 24 hours after suspect caught in targeted assassination of Democratic lawmaker and her husband Josh Marcus17 June 2025 01:45 Minnesota shootings upend balance in evenly split state House The Minnesota shootings have not only traumatized family members and local leaders alike, but they also have altered what was previously the evenly divided partisan balance of the state's House of Representatives. With the killing of Melissa Hortman, the House's top Democrat, Republicans now have a one-vote majority. The governor will likely call a special election for Hortman's seat before the next legislative session begins in February. Democrats say this isn't an immediate concern, though.
