Flashback: That Time Judge Jackson Smeared Pro-Lifers

During her time in private practice, Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson advocated against reportedly peaceful pro-life protesters' First Amendment rights.

In this case, their right to share their belief in the sanctity of human life.

A press release from Senate Judiciary Committee Republicans explains:

In private practice, Judge Jackson advocated against pro-life advocates' First Amendment right to express respect for the sanctity of life.

• Three pro-life women challenged a Massachusetts law that banned them from offering counseling and distributing leaflets outside of abortion clinics.
• A federal district court sided with them, stating that First Amendment rights ensure “[p]ro-life advocates who firmly believe that abortion remains a grave moral evil must be given as equal an opportunity as their opponents” to express their message.
• Judge Jackson disagreed, arguing for pro-abortion groups that the women and the group they were a part of were “a hostile, noisy crowd of ‘in-your-face' protestors.”
• Here's a picture of the group she's referring to: 

• Here's a picture of one of the plaintiffs in McGuire v. Reilly: 

•  Needless to say, Judge Jackson lost. The Supreme Court ultimately struck down the Massachusetts law as unconstitutional (holding that the law burdened pro-life advocates' free speech rights substantially more than was necessary to further the government's interest in maintaining public safety). 

At every turn, Judge Jackson ensured Planned Parenthood and anti-life groups were able to receive funding from taxpayers.

• The Obama administration awarded federal funds to over 80 nonprofit organizations, targeting these funds at abortion providers that marketed their services to teenage girls. 
• The Trump administration tried to stop tax dollars from being sent to group providing abortions to teenagers.
• Anti-life groups sued and, in each of the cases Judge Jackson heard on the issue, she ruled in favor of the abortion provider:

1. Judge Jackson denied a motion from the Trump administration, allowing the abortion provider Healthy Futures of Texas to sue for federal funding 
2. Judge Jackson also granted Healthy Future of Texas' request to certify a class action lawsuit against the Trump administration 
3. Judge Jackson ruled against the Trump administration in another case, stating that cutting off federal abortion funds was arbitrary  

The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of American Liberty News.