Fighting for Truth & Life in Federal Court

By 

Jay Sekulow

|
October 20, 2015

2 min read

Pro Life

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Big abortion continues to spread its lies and distortions in legislatures and courtrooms across America. That’s why we must continue to fight for the truth and defend those who speak up and fight for unborn children.

On Friday, I made a personal appearance in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California in San Francisco, and I’m happy to report that we won a number of significant victories as this crucial case for life moves forward.

It was a critical hearing in the case in which the National Abortion Federation (NAF) is trying to stop the lifesaving investigative journalism working to expose how the abortion industry kills babies and sells their body parts.

At the hearing, I, along with a team from the ACLJ, raised a number of significant constitutional issues involved in this case before a federal judge.

I argued that our Founding Fathers believed the rights to gather with people, assemble together, and advocate for your beliefs through action were fundamental to America and a flourishing society. That’s why they enshrined within the First Amendment the ability to assemble and speak out for your beliefs.

In federal court, we raised the significant First Amendment issues involved in this particular case. NAF asked for documents that would infringe upon these fundamental rights.

The investigative journalists don’t have to give up the confidential information about whom they meet with. This is confidential and constitutionally protected. In a series of cases brought by the NAACP during the Civil Rights Era, which I’ve used in court cases often through the years, membership lists, donor lists, and other things are constitutionally protected because fundamental rights are implicated.

As the Supreme Court said in NAACP v. Alabama (1958), “Inviolability of privacy in group association may in many circumstances be indispensable to preservation of freedom of association, particularly where a group espouses dissident beliefs.”

It was a great day for life in federal court last week as the court agreed that First and Fifth Amendment rights were at play in this case.

We must continue to fight to protect the integrity of investigative journalists standing up for life and truth. The ACLJ continues its vital work to defend a board member of this pro-life organization targeted by big abortion.

This is a critical case for life, and we will continue to keep you informed as our vital defense progresses.