Department of Justice and FACE Act Enforcement

A newly released, roughly 880–900‑page internal Justice Department report from the Weaponization Working Group alleges that the Biden‑era DOJ unevenly applied the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act, favoring abortion‑rights facilities over anti‑abortion defendants and at times coordinating with pro‑choice groups for intelligence and grant assistance. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said the department “will not tolerate a two‑tiered system of justice” and announced personnel actions; DOJ confirmed at least four prosecutors were fired, including Sanjay Patel, a veteran Civil Rights Division prosecutor who led FACE Act prosecutions, and the Trump‑era DOJ separately agreed in February 2026 to pay anti‑abortion activist Mark Houck $1.1 million while his appeal of a dismissed civil suit was pending — a payout the report mentions but does not disclose in dollar terms. The report accuses some Biden‑era prosecutors of withholding evidence, striking jurors based on religion and seeking substantially tougher sentences for “pro‑life” defendants (an average 26.8 months) than for “pro‑choice” defendants (12.3 months), and it says internal referrals for possible criminal or bar discipline have been made even though the document itself does not present results of misconduct investigations.