News: DOJ Dismisses Four Prosecutors for Misusing the FACE Act

DOJ Dismisses Prosecutors Over FACE Act Misuse

The Department of Justice (DOJ) has terminated several prosecutors who allegedly misused the Freedom of Clinic Admissions Act (FACE) to target pro-life activists during the Biden administration.

On Monday night, CBS News reported that the DOJ announced the firing of at least four attorneys involved in this controversial application of the FACE Act. This news came just before the agency released a significant report detailing perceived abuses within the Justice Department under the current administration.

The DOJ confirmed the dismissals through a social media post, noting, “The Department of Justice has terminated the employment of the employees responsible for weaponizing the FACE Act.”

One notable figure among those dismissed was Sanjay Patel, a federal prosecutor in the Civil Rights Division, who had been placed on leave the previous month. Reports indicate that Patel played a central role in linking the FACE Act with an old “conspiracy against rights” charge from the KKK-era to potentially increase sentencing for pro-life activists. He was mentioned in a lengthy report accusing him of actively working against pro-life individuals at the urging of abortion rights organizations.

According to the same report, several other federal attorneys involved in FACE Act cases have also left the DOJ.

The FACE Act, enacted in 1994, was originally intended to safeguard abortion clinics, pregnancy resource centers, and religious institutions from threats or violence. However, data suggests that a staggering 97 percent of lawsuits related to this law have targeted pro-life advocates.

Extensive findings from the DOJ’s Weaponization Task Force report—spanning around 900 pages and reviewing nearly 700,000 internal documents—claim that the Biden administration has been employing the FACE Act as a tool against pro-life Americans. This includes biased enforcement, requests for harsher sentences, aggressive arrest methods, collaboration with pro-abortion groups, and inappropriate religious comments.

In light of these revelations, Acting Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche stated, “Our department will not tolerate a two-tiered justice system. No department should engage in selective prosecution based on belief. The weaponization that occurred under the Biden administration will never happen again as we restore the integrity of our prosecutorial system.”