US Judge Dismissed DOJ Lawsuit in FACE Act Business Honor

US Judge Dismisses DOJ Lawsuit That Used Abortion Clinic Law on Pro-Palestinian Protesters

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US Judge Dismissed DOJ Lawsuit in FACE Act

A US judge dismissed a DOJ lawsuit that used the FACE Act against pro-Palestinian protesters. Why did the case fall short, and could it return in court?

A US judge dismissed the DOJ lawsuit that used the FACE Act against pro-Palestinian organizations and protesters.
Judge Katharine Hayden ruled the complaint did not adequately plead violations of the statute.
The claims were dismissed without prejudice, so the DOJ has 30 days to file an amended complaint.
The suit stemmed from a November 2024 protest outside a New Jersey synagogue event billed as a spiritual service and real estate fair.
Hayden warned the government's theory would mean "every protester there would be a defendant."

US judge dismissed a DOJ lawsuit on Friday that turned a law built for abortion-clinic access against pro-Palestinian protesters. The case was brought under the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, a 1994 law. The Trump administration filed it in September 2025, and it did not survive its first serious review.

US District Judge Katharine Hayden in New Jersey said the government's complaint did not adequately plead violations of the statute, Reuters reported. She dismissed the claims without prejudice, so the government can file an amended complaint within 30 days.

The FACE Act bars force and physical obstruction at reproductive health centers and houses of worship. The Justice Department sued over a November 2024 protest at a New Jersey synagogue event, billed as a spiritual service and real estate fair, that promoted sales of property in Israeli settlements in the West Bank.

Was this the right law for the job?

Judge Katharine Hayden warned that under the government's theory, "every protester there would be a defendant,” On whether the prayer space counted as a place of religious worship, she wrote: "On this complaint, it is not,"

The allegations were serious. The government said demonstrators assaulted some worshippers and used chants and vuvuzelas to disrupt the event. But the ruling turned on a narrower point: Hayden found too few facts connecting each defendant to the FACE Act.

Is this a legal correction or a political embarrassment?

The context sharpens the question. The Justice Department under Trump has curtailed FACE Act use in abortion-related cases, alleging past prosecutions were an improper politicized use of legal law enforcement. Yet the same statute was applied here, against protesters.

Can one law be narrowed in one courtroom and stretched in another?

Supporters of the FACE Act lawsuit can say the law explicitly covers houses of worship, and the dismissal leaves room to refile. Critics can say the court found the theory too broad. Both points are grounded in the ruling.

It was not the department's only loss this week. According to FOX 5 Atlanta, a federal judge in Georgia dismissed a DOJ suit seeking unredacted voter records from Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger. Two dismissals within days will keep attention on how the department builds its cases. Business Honor examines that the 30-day window now decides whether this one returns stronger or ends here.