Supreme Court Lets Anti-Abortion Centers Challenge New Jersey Subpoena
Unanimous decision allows First Choice Women’s Resource Centers to pursue a federal First Amendment challenge to a 2023 New Jersey subpoena seeking donor names and records.
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Overview
The Supreme Court unanimously held that First Choice Women’s Resource Centers has standing to challenge a New Jersey subpoena seeking donor information, Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote.
The subpoena was issued in 2023 by then-Attorney General Matthew Platkin as part of a state probe into whether the centers deceived donors and clients under consumer-protection law.
Supporters praised the ruling, with William Haun of Becket calling it a triumph and Alliance Defending Freedom calling it a resounding victory, while press and civil-rights groups warned of potential misuse of subpoenas.
First Choice operates five locations in New Jersey, and Platkin’s office sought more than 10 years of records including donor and personnel information; the Third U.S. Circuit in 2024 had upheld a district-court dismissal by a 2-1 vote.
The decision clears the way for First Choice’s federal suit to proceed while state-court proceedings continue after a 2024 state judge declined to quash the subpoena and ordered the parties to negotiate a narrower demand.
Analysis
Center-leaning sources frame the story as a defense of religious liberty and donor privacy, using constitutional language and selective sourcing. Editorial choices—emphasizing Justice Gorsuch's opinion, quoting religious-right advocates, and noting the NAACP precedent—foreground First Amendment protection while giving little space to the attorney general's or consumer advocates' perspectives.