DOJ Fires Prosecutors Over Alleged Biden-Era FACE Act Weaponization

The United States Department of Justice released an 882-page report on April 14, 2026, alleging that the Biden administration weaponized the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act to selectively prosecute pro-life activists. The report, produced by a Weaponization Working Group after reviewing 700,000 records, claims that former Attorney General Merrick Garland's department collaborated with abortion-rights groups, including Planned Parenthood and the National Abortion Federation, to track activists and build dossiers on individuals. The report further alleges that Biden-era prosecutors pursued harsher sentences for pro-life defendants—averaging 14 months compared to three months for pro-choice defendants—while ignoring attacks on pregnancy resource centers.

Following these findings, the DOJ fired at least four federal prosecutors, including Sanjay Patel, the former head of the National Task Force on Violence Against Reproductive Health Care Providers. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche stated the department is restoring integrity to the prosecutorial system and will not tolerate a two-tiered system of justice. This action coincided with President Donald Trump pardoning 23 pro-life activists and shifting policy to limit FACE Act prosecutions to cases involving serious harm or death.

Former officials, including Kristen Clarke, defended the prior enforcement as an even-handed effort to protect public safety. Nancy Northup of the Center for Reproductive Rights condemned the firings as a threat to the rule of law. Meanwhile, the current DOJ has utilized the FACE Act to charge journalist Don Lemon and others for interfering with religious practice during a protest in Minnesota.