{"id":2596344,"date":"2026-04-28T18:02:01","date_gmt":"2026-04-28T22:02:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/house-republicans-weaponization-victims-make-the-case-for-repealing-the-face-act\/"},"modified":"2026-04-28T18:05:16","modified_gmt":"2026-04-28T22:05:16","slug":"house-republicans-weaponization-victims-make-the-case-for-repealing-the-face-act","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/house-republicans-weaponization-victims-make-the-case-for-repealing-the-face-act\/","title":{"rendered":"House GOP, Lawfare Victims Make Case For Repealing FACE Act"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/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%2Fhouse-republicans-weaponization-victims-make-the-case-for-repealing-the-face-act%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=2596344&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 House Judiciary hearing reviewed teh Biden administration\u2019s use of the 1980s FACE (Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances) Act, with Republican lawmakers arguing the law was \u201cweaponized\u201d to prosecute and restrict peaceful pro-life protesters. The hearing-titled \u201cFrom Tool to Weapon: The FACE Act and the dangers of Federalizing Criminal Law\u201d-relied on a lengthy DOJ review report the article describes as documenting biased enforcement, collusion with abortion-rights activists, and harsher outcomes for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/pro-lifers-could-face-11-years-in-prison-for-trying-to-protect-innocents-from-harm\/\" title=\"Pro-... advocates may face up to 11 years in jail for defending the vulnerable from harm.\">pro-life defendants<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Witnesses and members of Congress contended that existing local and state laws already cover violence or threats, making FACE Act prosecutions an improper expansion of federal power. They criticized the use of injunctions that they say created speech-limiting \u201cbuffer zones,\u201d including \u201cbubble zones\u201d around clinics. The article also highlights individual testimony, including that of a 90-year-old FACE Act defendant, portraying her as targeted despite her nonviolent advocacy, and it references data cited by Republicans claiming pro-life cases received longer sentences on average than pro-abortion cases.<\/p>\n<p>republicans used the hearing to renew calls to repeal the FACE Act, arguing that without repeal future administrations could use it to jail people for religiously motivated, nonviolent protest. Democrats, according to the article, complained about the timing and frequency of such hearings and disputed claims of unequal or politically motivated justice, while also alleging a \u201ctwo-tiered\u201d system. The article further notes Republican criticism of organizations like the Southern Poverty Law Centre and points to prior votes to advance legislation aimed at repealing the Act.  <\/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<div>\n<p>The Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act has got to go, House Republicans determined during their hearing designed to review the Biden administration\u2019s abuse of the three-decade-old law.<\/p>\n<p>The hearing titled <a href=\"https:\/\/judiciary.house.gov\/committee-activity\/hearings\/tool-weapon-face-act-and-dangers-federalizing-criminal-law\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">\u201cFrom Tool to Weapon: The FACE Act and the Dangers of Federalizing Criminal Law\u201d<\/a> followed the Trump Department of Justice\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/opa\/media\/1436006\/dl\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">882-page report<\/a> detailing exactly how President Joe Biden and his top law enforcement agency weaponized the FACE Act to imprison <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/04\/14\/biden-doj-cooked-up-prosecutions-against-pro-lifers-after-abortion-industry-asked-them-to\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">nearly two dozen<\/a> peaceful pro-life protesters.<\/p>\n<p>The DOJ investigators, who initiated the probe after President Donald Trump signed a February 2025\u00a0executive order committed to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/presidential-actions\/2025\/02\/eradicating-anti-christian-bias\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">\u201cEradicating Anti-Christian Bias,\u201d<\/a> found that the former administration used \u201cbiased enforcement\u201d of the FACE Act in a blatant violation of Americans\u2019 rights. This uneven application of the law, communications revealed, was completed in collusion with abortion activists who supplied the DOJ with \u201creal-time\u201d reports of pro-life protest activity.<\/p>\n<p>At least <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/04\/14\/justice-department-fires-multiple-prosecutors-who-weaponized-face-act-against-pro-life-americans\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">four Biden-era prosecutors<\/a> were fired for their roles in the lawfare shortly before the report debuted, but House Republicans say it\u2019s not enough. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis hearing was about shining a harsh, overdue light on left-wing groups that have targeted conservatives \u2014 especially pro-life Americans \u2014 for years with little to no accountability,\u201d Rep. Chip Roy, chairman of the House Subcommittee on the Constitution and Limited Government, told The Federalist in a statement. \u201cThe FACE Act has been twisted into a weapon, used to bludgeon citizens whose only \u2018offense\u2019 is living out their religious convictions. That abuse cannot stand. Recent actions against organizations like the SPLC show that the tide is starting to turn \u2014 but it\u2019s not enough. Accountability must be real, it must be consistent, and it must come now.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In his opening statement, hearing witness Christopher Ferrara, senior counsel at the Thomas More Society, emphasized that the FACE Act is not required to prosecute acts of violence or threats of force thanks to existing local and state laws. Yet the law was repeatedly used by the DOJ, particularly under Biden, to <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/JudiciaryGOP\/status\/2049150152057737264?s=20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">target pro-life Christians<\/a> and create \u201ca new category of federal offenses, civil and criminal, based on what were truly matters of local law involving citizens and other minor offenses committed in the context of nonviolent civil disobedience.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe FACE Act has been used to impose ridiculous injunctions, totally unheard of in any other context. Speech-free buffer zones, bubble zones, and even floating bubble zones around clinics have created for pro-life advocates and them only what Justice Scalia described \u2026 \u2018an entirely separate abridged edition of the First Amendment,\u2019\u201d Ferrara continued.<\/p>\n<figure>\n<p><span><\/p>\n<blockquote data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<div lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">\n<p>Mr. Ferrara, Senior Counsel at the Thomas Moore Society, has litigated FACE Act defense cases for over 25 years.<\/p>\n<p>WATCH his testimony calling for the repeal of the FACE Act and why its unconstitutional. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/YadBd0CyzI\">pic.twitter.com\/YadBd0CyzI<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u2014 House Judiciary GOP \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8 (@JudiciaryGOP) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JudiciaryGOP\/status\/2049145144415330740?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">April 28, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><\/span> <\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Eva Edl, a 90-year-old FACE Act weaponization victim and Yugoslavian <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/exclusive-lithuanian-mp-says-german-companies-bending-to-beijings-will-are-destroying-the-eu-single-market\/\" title=\"Exclusive: Lithuanian MP Says German Companies Bending to &#039;Beijing&#039;s Will&#039; are Destroying the EU Single Market\">communist concentration camp<\/a> survivor, also used her testimony time to \u201cplead with our government to repeal the FACE Act because it is targeting people who want to do right.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAfter all, we have enough laws that if somebody does something wrong, we have the means to punish them. I plead with our government to stop the killing and go back to the foundational principle that our forefathers built this country on: that all human life has equal value before God,\u201d Edl said. <\/p>\n<figure>\n<p><span><\/p>\n<blockquote data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<div lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">\n<p>Eva Edl dedicated her life to pro-life advocacy in the U.S. after surviving a communist concentration camp.<\/p>\n<p>The Biden-Harris DOJ prosecuted Eva, in her late 80s, under the FACE act for a pro-life protest. <\/p>\n<p>WATCH her powerful testimony \u2b07\ufe0f <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/Qu5l6WM1jn\">pic.twitter.com\/Qu5l6WM1jn<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u2014 House Judiciary GOP \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8 (@JudiciaryGOP) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JudiciaryGOP\/status\/2049143936615112832?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">April 28, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><\/span> <\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Previously reported data suggested the Biden administration <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/07\/24\/christopher-wray-says-fbi-does-not-target-peaceful-pro-lifers-the-stats-prove-otherwise\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">disproportionately focused<\/a> its FACE Act prosecutions on pro-lifers who <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/06\/19\/yes-bidens-department-of-justice-wants-to-imprison-peaceful-pro-lifers-for-praying\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">prayed, sang, and evangelized<\/a> at abortion facilities. The Trump administration\u2019s latest report also determined the Biden DOJ requested and ultimately secured sentences that were longer for pro-lifers \u2014 an average of 26.8 months and 14 months respectively \u2014 than for pro-abortion defendants, who averaged 12.3 months and 3 months respectively.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis should concern every American, regardless of their views on the underlying issue, because the real problem isn\u2019t just how this law has been abused, it\u2019s the permanent expansion of federal power it represents,\u201d Roy said during his time at the hearing.<\/p>\n<figure>\n<p><span><\/p>\n<blockquote data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">\ud83d\udea8<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/RepChipRoy?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@RepChipRoy<\/a> at the FACE Act hearing: \u201cThis should concern every American, regardless of their views on the underlying issue, because the real problem isn&#8217;t just how this law has been abused, it&#8217;s the permanent expansion of federal power it represents.\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/UfXlEI0WiD\">pic.twitter.com\/UfXlEI0WiD<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Off The Press (@OffThePress1) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/OffThePress1\/status\/2049134756399358379?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">April 28, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><\/span> <\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>\u201cPlain and simple, the Biden Administration weaponized the FACE Act against conservatives and Pro-Life activists. We must repeal it!\u201d Rep. Bob Onder, R-Mo., urged.<\/p>\n<figure>\n<p><span><\/p>\n<blockquote data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<div lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">\n<p>The Biden-Harris DOJ used the FACE Act to target Pro-Life organizations and Pro-Life Americans. <\/p>\n<p>They colluded with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/anti-life-activists-to-target-churches-on-mothers-day\/\" title=\"Anti-... ...ivists to Target Churches on Mother\u2019s Day\">anti-life activists<\/a>, increased sentences for Pro-Life defendants, and targeted religious organizations. <\/p>\n<p>Plain and simple, the Biden Administration weaponized the\u2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/gcHMMwTyqw\">pic.twitter.com\/gcHMMwTyqw<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u2014 Bob Onder (@RepBobOnder) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/RepBobOnder\/status\/2049155538315886733?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">April 28, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><\/span> <\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Democrat legislators used their time during the hearing to complain about the frequency of FACE Act hearings and <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/OffThePress1\/status\/2049139281134813661?s=20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">downplay the two-tiered system of justice<\/a> that they used to target their political enemies. The Democrats\u2019 witness also refused to indulge Rep. Brandon Gill\u2019s questions about her \u201cfavorite type of abortion,\u201d which he described in gruesome detail.<\/p>\n<figure>\n<p><span><\/p>\n<blockquote data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<div lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">\n<p>NEW: Abortion advocate squirms and tries to deflect as Rep. Brandon Gill reads to her the gruesome techniques on how babies are aborted.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The first type is called a suction abortion\u2026&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;This is when the cervix is dilated and a strong suction, 29 times the power of a household\u2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/sf3agLS1JE\">pic.twitter.com\/sf3agLS1JE<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u2014 Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/CollinRugg\/status\/2049184091069915377?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">April 28, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><\/span> <\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Republicans, however, remained unfazed and continued with the task at hand. As House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan noted, just last week the Southern Poverty Law Center, which ignored the historic violence against churches and pregnancy centers in the week of the Supreme Court\u2019s <em>Dobbs<\/em> decision, was indicted for <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/04\/21\/grand-jury-indicts-southern-poverty-law-center-for-secret-fraudulent-payments-to-racist-groups\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">shuttling secret fraudulent payments to racist groups<\/a>, making now the \u201cright time to have this hearing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Southern Poverty Law Center, who said, quote, \u2018the pro-life movement is fundamentally anti-democratic,\u2019 was running a scam, paying $3 million to, quote, \u2018informants\u2019 to go foment the hate they told the world they were actually supposed to be fighting. This is exactly the right time to have this hearing, for goodness\u2019 sake,\u201d Jordan said. \u201cI mean, the Southern Poverty Law Center that the Biden Justice Department used to train lawyers to go deal with the FACE Act. You\u2019ve got to be kidding me.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure>\n<p><span><\/p>\n<blockquote data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">The SPLC, cited by Biden\u2019s DOJ in their anti-Catholic memo and used to enforce the FACE Act, was just indicted for a $3 million scam paying people to create hate. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/A9UPQONsLK\">https:\/\/t.co\/A9UPQONsLK<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 House Judiciary GOP \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8 (@JudiciaryGOP) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JudiciaryGOP\/status\/2049141623896899718?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">April 28, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><\/span> <\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Thirteen House Judiciary Committee\u00a0Republicans <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=LsD-8cANcgA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">voted<\/a> in June 2025 to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.congress.gov\/bill\/119th-congress\/house-bill\/589\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">advance a bill<\/a> that would repeal the \u201cunconstitutional\u201d law the Biden administration weaponized to silence and <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >jail peaceful <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/americans-remember-the-48th-annual-march-for-life\/\" title=\"Americans remember the 48th annual March for ...\">pro-life activists<\/a><\/a>. As pro-life organizations have <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/03\/14\/key-pro-life-organizations-demand-republicans-repeal-weaponized-face-act-as-soon-as-possible\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">repeatedly noted<\/a>, a Republican-controlled Congress\u2019s failure to do away with the <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/01\/21\/republicans-led-by-chip-roy-move-to-repeal-the-act-biden-used-to-jail-peaceful-pro-lifers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">FACE Act<\/a> would enable future administrations to charge and imprison people who are committed to protecting unborn life.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p>      Jordan Boyd is an award-winning staff writer at The Federalist and producer of \u201cThe Federalist Radio Hour.\u201d Her work has also been featured in The Daily Wire, Fox News, and RealClearPolitics. Jordan graduated from Baylor University where she majored in political science and minored in journalism. Follow her on X @jordanboydtx.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>House Republicans urged ending the FACE Act, citing Biden-era misuse and harsher FACE prosecutions<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":490,"featured_media":2596345,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Copy-of-Untitled-87.png","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546,33651],"tags":[33274,38828,32455,16727,43031],"class_list":["post-2596344","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist","category-the-western-journal","tag-civil-rights","tag-face-act","tag-house-gop","tag-lawfare","tag-legal-reform"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Copy-of-Untitled-87.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2596344","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\/490"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2596344"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2596344\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2596348,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2596344\/revisions\/2596348"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2596345"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2596344"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2596344"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2596344"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}