A pregnant woman was delayed for about an hour as a result of Justin Phillips ‘ claim that he and other pro-life activists sat in front of an abortion factory in Sterling Heights, Michigan on August 27, 2020.
Phillips faces the possibility of spending more than ten years in prison, as his counsel and others with the case’s history have confirmed. However, hope was sparked this week by Phillips and others in the country who are facing charges of breaking the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances ( FACE ) Act because the DOJ has been actively pursuing pro-lifers who have recently engaged in peaceful interactions with women outside of abortion mills.
In 1994, President Bill Clinton signed the FACE Act. The legislation prohibits interfering with someone seeking, obtaining, or providing so-called “reproductive health service”.
In a position convention this year, U.S. District Judge Matthew F. Leitman in Michigan’s Eastern District instructed prosecutors to walk down despite Phillips and some ‘ lawyers awaiting punishment in their situation.
In an attempt released Wednesday, Leitman paused all meetings on post-trial movements until further notice and pushed the second rank meeting to March 24, 2025, at the latest — also after Trump’s opening.
The judge ordered Judge prosecutors to consult with the fresh Civil Rights Division and the new political leaders under the Trump administration, according to David Peters, Phillips ‘ lawyer, The Federalist.  ,
Under the Trump administration, Peters thinks the accused ‘ FACE cases could be dismissed. That would be preferable to a reprimand for those who have not yet been sentenced. A circumstance dismissed before sentencing may never show up on the pro-lifers ‘ data, he said.
” I think the magistrates know it’s a social thing”, Phillips told The Federalist in an interview. The justice system is supposed to seek justice, but it does n’t. It is really a mad experience, seeing how cruel the justice system is”.
He described the incident, which could lead to prison time for him.
By simply sitting in front of the doorway, Phillips claimed,” We were worshiping the Lord and trying to stop newborns from being killed it.” ” When they told me, it was time to go or I get arrested, I stayed it. And then once they said, OK, you’re arrested, I stood away and they arrested me”.
Since he became involved in the abortion rescue industry, Phillips, of Michigan, claims to have witnessed hundreds of female moms change their minds and keep their babies.
According to Phillips,” When Jesus saved me, he showed me a lot of passion for him and for our companions, and opened my eyes to the murder and forgotten eyes of many of our companions.” ” We know where it happens. In 2017, I began visiting the pregnancy centers and pointing to the Lord to assist mothers. I’ve seen God preserve numerous babies and provide many needs for many people. In reality, the rescue was merely a worship service to put my life on hold as Christ did for me.
However, the FBI released an indictment charging Phillips and seven others there that day with a FACE Act violation two and a half decades after the Sterling Heights sit-in. By then, the Department of Justice ( DOJ) had already href=”https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/08/03/fact-sheet-president-biden-issues-executive-order-at-the-first-meeting-of-the-task-force-on-reproductive-healthcare-access-2/#:~:text=Launch%20a%20DOJ%20Reproductive%20Rights,reproductive%20care%20where%20it’s%20legal%2C” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>established the Reproductive Rights Task Force, which was used as part of the DOJ’s efforts to combat the FACE Act. The Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs had already overturned Roe V. Wade. The DOJ began conducting retroactive inquiries into happenings at pregnancy mills.
Due to Dobbs, the DOJ had hardly ever conducted FACE detention. As I formerly reported for The Epoch Times, information from the Court showed that in the 10 years between 2011 and 2021, the Department of Justice criminally charged 17 people with FACE Act transgressions, but in 2022 only, the Court charged 26 individuals — and there have been more fees since then.
Conspiracy Against Rights is now a new offense that the DOJ has begun adding to many of the alleged FACE violations, as several attorneys involved in these cases have pointed out. Combined, the FACE and conspiracy charges threaten a maximum of 11 years in federal prison.
Also indicted alongside Phillips in February 2023 were Calvin Zastrow, Eva Zastrow, Heather Idoni, and Joel Curry— all from Michigan — as well as Chester Gallagher of Tennessee and Eva Edl of South Carolina.
Caroline Davis of Georgia was also named in the indictment, but since then, has worked with the DOJ, testifying against the others in court, to reduce her charges.  ,  ,
Idoni, Calvin Zastrow, and other peaceful pro-lifers are already in prison, having been swept up in other FACE cases. On the campaign trail, President Donald Trump declared that his administration would “rapidly review the cases of every political prisoner who has been unfairly victimized by the Biden regime,” including those who are also known as FACE prisoners, and that it would “get them back to their families where they belong.”
The Federalist’s Beth Brelje is a correspondent for elections. She is an award-winning investigative journalist with decades of media experience.
