{"id":2592372,"date":"2026-04-18T15:43:02","date_gmt":"2026-04-18T19:43:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/pro-life-activist-targeted-by-biden-walks-away-with-massive-lawsuit-payout\/"},"modified":"2026-04-18T15:46:48","modified_gmt":"2026-04-18T19:46:48","slug":"pro-life-activist-targeted-by-biden-walks-away-with-massive-lawsuit-payout","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/pro-life-activist-targeted-by-biden-walks-away-with-massive-lawsuit-payout\/","title":{"rendered":"Pro-Life Activist Targeted By Biden Walks Away with Massive Lawsuit Payout"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fpro-life-activist-targeted-by-biden-walks-away-with-massive-lawsuit-payout%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2592372&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/vance-anti-abortion-republicans-need-focus-on-the-state-level-4\/\" title=\"Vance: Anti-abortion Republicans need ... on the &#039;state level&#039;\">pro\u2011life activist<\/a> and father of seven, Mark Houck, became the focus of a <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >high-profile federal case<\/a> after an FBI raid during the Biden administration related to a FACE Act incident outside a Planned Parenthood clinic. Houck had previously intervened when a clinic escort verbally harassed his son in October 2021,shoving the escort to protect his child; the private civil case was later dismissed when the escort did not appear at the hearing. In September 2022, armed FBI agents raided his home; he faced two felony FACE Act counts with a potential 11-year prison term, but was acquitted at trial in January 2023. Nearly five years after the incident, 40 Days for Life announced a settlement of more than $1 million in a lawsuit against the Department of Justice, calling it a victory for free speech and for the right to peaceful, law\u2011abiding protest. The piece notes ongoing Republican concerns about the FACE Act and potential reform or repeal, framing the settlement within broader debates over goverment enforcement of protest-related statutes.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>The pro-life activist and father of seven who was targeted with an FBI raid under the Biden administration won a lawsuit payout of over $1 million, one of the ministries supporting him announced earlier this month.<\/p>\n<p>Mark Houck, who lives near Philadelphia, regularly ministered outside the Planned Parenthood location in the Center City neighborhood, sometimes taking his 12-year-old son to experience the harrowing work of trying to save babies on the brink of murder.<\/p>\n<p>On one occasion in October 2021, a volunteer clinic escort verbally harassed his son with profane language, prompting Houck to shove the man to protect his child.<\/p>\n<p>The Thomas More Society, which represented Houck, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thomasmoresociety.org\/case\/united-states-of-america-v-mark-houck\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">noted<\/a> that the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/report-bill-gates-divorce-could-expose-affairs-treatment-of-his-female-employees\/\" title=\"REPORT: Bill Gates Divorce Could Expose Affairs, Treatment Of His Female Employees\">private case<\/a> against him was dismissed after the clinic escort failed to appear at the hearing.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Armed agents pointed weapons at his wife and children.<\/p>\n<p>This <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/saturdays-fun-fraud-facts-seven-unexplainable-results-that-reveal-democrats-didnt-even-try-to-hide-their-fraud\/\" title=\"Saturday&#039;s Fun Fraud Facts: Seven Unexplainable Results that Reveal Democrats Didn&#039;t Even Try to Hide Their Fraud\">wasn&#038;rsquo<\/a>;t justice. It was intimidation.<\/p>\n<p>But it failed.<\/p>\n<p>Mark just won a 7-figure settlement against the DOJ.<\/p>\n<p>Watch&#11015;&#65039;<a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/eNSKZlTz1i\">https:\/\/t.co\/eNSKZlTz1i<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; 40 Days for Life (@40daysforlife) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/40daysforlife\/status\/2042323326903734699?\">April 9, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"anyclipvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\tdocument.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", function() { \t\t\t\t\tfunction loadAnyclip() { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst container=document.getElementById(\"anyclipvideo\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!container) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst script=document.createElement(\"script\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.src=\"https:\/\/player.anyclip.com\/anyclip-widget\/lre-widget\/prod\/v1\/src\/lre.js\"; \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.setAttribute(\"pubname\", \"westernjournalcom\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.setAttribute(\"widgetname\", \"001w000001jULVcAAO_M12924\");  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ append inside the container so player shows in correct spot \t\t\t\t\t\tcontainer.appendChild(script); \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\tfunction findPreviousParagraph(selector, x) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst targetElement=document.querySelector(selector); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!targetElement) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Target element not found.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Get all <\/p>\n<p> elements in order as they appear in the document \t\t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphs=Array.from(document.querySelectorAll(\"p\"));  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the index of the last <\/p>\n<p> before the target element \t\t\t\t\t\tlet targetIndex=paragraphs.findIndex(p=> p.compareDocumentPosition(targetElement) & Node.DOCUMENT_POSITION_PRECEDING);  \t\t\t\t\t\tif (targetIndex===-1 || targetIndex <x) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Not enough paragraphs before the target element.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\treturn paragraphs[targetIndex - x]; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Set up IntersectionObserver \t\t\t\t\tfunction observeElement(element) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!element) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst observer=new IntersectionObserver( \t\t\t\t\t\t\t(entries)=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tentries.forEach(entry=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tif (entry.isIntersecting) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log(\"Paragraph is now visible:\", entry.target.textContent.trim()); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tloadAnyclip(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.disconnect(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t}, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t{ threshold: 0.5 } \/\/ Adjust threshold as needed \t\t\t\t\t\t);  \t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.observe(element); \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the 1st paragraph before #anyclipvideo and observe it \t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphToObserve=findPreviousParagraph(\"#anyclipvideo\", 2); \t\t\t\t\tobserveElement(paragraphToObserve); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>But almost a year later, in September 2022, over two dozen heavily armed FBI agents raided Houck&rsquo;s home, shocking his wife and young children.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The Department of Justice had decided to make an example of Mark, charging him with two <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/kyle-rittenhouse-staying-in-safe-house-after-numerous-threats-attorney-says\/\" title=\"Kyle Rittenhouse Staying In \u2018Safe House\u2019 After \u2018Numerous Threats,\u2019 Attorney Says\">felony counts<\/a> and threatening him with prison time for defending his family and advocating for life,&rdquo; the Thomas More Society said.<\/p>\n<p>Houck faced 11 years in prison under the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act &mdash; also known as the FACE Act &mdash; but he was acquitted after his jury trial in January 2023.<\/p>\n<p>Nearly five years after the initial incident, the ministry 40 Days for Life announced in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=b-cIEGOwd28\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">video<\/a> that a lawsuit filed against the Department of Justice resulted in the payout of more than $1 million.<\/p>\n<p>40 Days for Life CEO Shawn Carney called the settlement &ldquo;a huge victory for free speech.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>He also described it as &ldquo;a huge victory for all Americans who want our right to speak our minds peacefully in a law-abiding way without fear of our own government.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;It has been absolutely night and day. Under Biden, at one point, we were getting one to two inquiries from the FBI per week at different 40 Days for Life locations,&rdquo; Carney added.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">The trial of Mark Houck begins today, a Catholic father of 7 and pro-life activist who had 30 FBI agents arrest him in front of his family and the Biden DOJ is trying to put in jail for 11 years all for pushing a Planned Parenthood volunteer who threatened his son. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/ymZHLmcG7p\">pic.twitter.com\/ymZHLmcG7p<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Greg Price (@greg_price11) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/greg_price11\/status\/1617927589963915265?\">January 24, 2023<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>The Christian Post <a href=\"https:\/\/www.christianpost.com\/news\/pro-life-activist-mark-houck-wins-7-figure-settlement.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">noted<\/a> that the lawsuit settlement comes as the Department of Justice, now under the control of the Trump administration, is preparing to release a report on the weaponization of the FACE Act against anti-abortion <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/anti-abortion-doctor-father-13-running-office\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">activists<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Some Republican lawmakers have called for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/house-republicans-move-repeal-law-bidens-doj-weaponized-imprison-pro-lifers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">repealing<\/a> the FACE Act to avoid future targeting of Christians.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A pro-life activist and father of seven near Philadelphia, Mark Houck, who regularly stood outside a Planned Parenthood clinic in Center City, won a seven-figure settlement of more than $1 million from the Department of Justice, announced by a ministry supporting him. Houck had sometimes brought his 12-year-old son to the sidewalk ministry, aiming to witness what he described as the \u201charrowing\u201d work of saving unborn lives. In October 2021, a clinic escort verbally taunted Houck\u2019s son with profanity, and Houck pushed the escort to protect his child. The private civil case against Houck was dismissed after the escort failed to appear at the hearing, according to the Thomas More Society, which represented him. At the time, armed agents pointed weapons at his wife and children, an episode supporters characterized as intimidation rather than justice. Houck ultimately prevailed, receiving a seven-figure settlement against the DOJ, a development celebrated by 40 Days for Life.<\/p>\n<p>Nearly a year later, in September 2022, Houck\u2019s family said federal agents with heavy weapons raided his home, shocking his wife and children. The Thomas More Society described the action as government intimidation, claiming the DOJ sought to \u201cmake an example\u201d of Houck by charging him with two felonies and potentially prison time for defending his family and advocating for life. Houck faced up to 11 years in prison under the FACE Act, but he was acquitted after a jury trial in January 2023. Almost five years after the incident, 40 Days for Life announced that a lawsuit against the DOJ resulted in a payout of more than $1 million, with CEO Shawn Carney calling the settlement a major victory for free speech and for Americans\u2019 right to speak peacefully without fear of government retaliation.<\/p>\n<p>The Christian Post noted that the settlement occurred as discussions continued about the FACE Act\u2019s use against anti-abortion activists, and some Republican lawmakers have urged repealing the act to prevent future targeting of Christians<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2592373,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Michael-Featured-Image-941.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[3620,4585,8347],"class_list":["post-2592372","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-biden","tag-lawsuit","tag-pro-life"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Michael-Featured-Image-941.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2592372","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2592372"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2592372\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2592376,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2592372\/revisions\/2592376"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2592373"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2592372"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2592372"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2592372"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}