(Washington, D.C.) On January 14, 2025, Thomas More Society attorneys submitted to the incoming Trump administration formal requests for presidential pardons on behalf of 21 pro-life advocates who have been unjustly prosecuted, convicted, and in several cases, imprisoned, by the Biden Department of Justice. In their letter submitted to President Donald J. Trump, Thomas More Society attorneys “urge that these pro-life Americans are deserving of full and unconditional pardons.”
The pardon request package includes 21
individual pardon requests, one for each pro-life advocate, outlining the
specific facts of each case, their upstanding personal and moral character, and
the reasons why President Trump should grant a presidential pardon. The pardon
request package also includes a cover letter outlining the legal rationale for
the requested pardons and explains how the Biden DOJ routinely and
unconstitutionally weaponized the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE)
Act and “Conspiracy Against Rights” statute against peaceful pro-life advocates.
The
21 pro-life advocates for whom Thomas More Society has submitted pardon
requests are: Joan Bell, Coleman Boyd, Joel Curry, Jonathan Darnel, Eva Edl,
Chester Gallagher, William Goodman, Dennis Green, Lauren Handy, Paulette
Harlow, John Hinshaw, Heather Idoni, Jean Marshall, Fr. Fidelis Moscinski,
Justin Phillips, Paul Place, Paul Vaughn, Bevelyn Beatty Williams, Calvin
Zastrow, Eva Zastrow, and James Zastrow.
“With these requests for presidential pardons
for 21 peaceful pro-life advocates, we urge President Trump to right the
grievous wrongs of the Biden administration’s weaponization of the Department
of Justice,” stated Steve Crampton, Thomas More Society Senior
Counsel. “These 21 peaceful pro-lifers, many of whom are currently
imprisoned for bravely standing up for unborn life, are upstanding citizens and
pillars of their communities. Through full and unconditional pardons for these
pro-life advocates, President Trump has the chance to remedy the harm done to
them and their families, deliver on his campaign promises, and repair trust in
our constitutional order.”
On
at least three occasions, President Trump has publicly signaled his intent to
pardon the pro-life advocates wrongly prosecuted during the Biden
administration. In September 2023, on the heels of the FACE Act convictions in
Washington, D.C., President Trump stated he would review the “cases of every
political prisoner who’s been unjustly persecuted by the Biden administration.” In February 2024, in a speech
to the National Religious Broadcasters in Nashville, Tennessee, Trump
referenced the “pro-life activists... convicted on outrageous charges” in the
Nashville FACE Act trial and pledged to review those convictions following his
return to office. In June 2024, in a speech for the Faith and Freedom
Coalition, Trump reiterated his earlier statements and specifically referenced
76-year-old Paulette Harlow in his remarks, who is included among the pro-life
advocates requesting a full pardon in the communicated pardon request package.
“We are hopeful that the
second Trump administration will spell a new day for pro-life advocates who
have faced FBI raids, federal prosecutions, and severe punishment for
peacefully and courageously witnessing for life,” added Peter Breen, Thomas More Society Executive
Vice President and Head of Litigation. “By acting on the requested
presidential pardons, President Trump has a golden opportunity to not only stop
the lawfare against peaceful pro-lifers, but to also undo some of the
unprecedented damage of the Biden administration. Inside and outside the
courtroom, Thomas More Society attorneys have seen up close the harm inflicted
by the Biden DOJ’s weaponization the FACE Act. Today, we call on President
Trump to pardon these peaceful pro-lifers and put an end to this government
overreach.”
Read the Pardon Request Package Cover Letter, “Re: Petitions for Pardon of 21 Peaceful
Pro-Life Advocates,” addressed to President Donald J.
Trump, by Thomas More Society attorneys on behalf of 21 pro-life advocates, here. For privacy reasons,
the detailed individual requests are unable to be made public.
About Thomas More Society
Thomas More
Society is a national not-for-profit law firm dedicated to restoring respect in
law for life, family, and freedom. Headquartered in Chicago and with offices
across the country, Thomas More Society fosters support for these causes by
providing high quality pro bono legal services from local trial courts all the
way up to the United States Supreme Court. For more information, please visit
the website at thomasmoresociety.org.
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