PHOENIX—In a remarkable victory at the Supreme Court today, all nine justices stood together to defend a principle as old as the First Amendment itself: the government does not get to harass people it disagrees with.
New Jersey’s attorney general targeted First Choice Women’s Resource Centers—a Christian ministry that offers free ultrasounds, parenting classes, and loving support to mothers and fathers in some of his state’s most vulnerable communities. His weapon was a sweeping subpoena demanding the names, phone numbers, and home addresses of the donors who make that ministry possible. His aim was unmistakable: to chill the speech, silence the witness, and drain the resources of a pro-life organization simply because of what it believes.
The Supreme Court unanimously said no. As the Court explained, an official demand for private donor information is enough to discourage reasonable individuals from associating with any group—and that harm is real, immediate, and reviewable in federal court. First Choice will now have its day before a federal judge to defend the First Amendment rights of every American who peacefully supports causes they believe in.
This ruling resonates in Arizona. Last October, Center for Arizona Policy (CAP) went before the Arizona Supreme Court to challenge Proposition 211—the Donor Doxing Law—which forces nonprofit organizations to publish the names, addresses, and personal information of citizens who support causes the political class disfavors. While this case has a different factual context from First Choice v. Platkin, the constitutional issue is identical: government-compelled exposure of private donors that chills speech, deters association, and exposes ordinary Arizonans to harassment, economic retaliation, and worse.
Center for Arizona Policy is grateful to Alliance Defending Freedom and First Choice Women’s Resource Centers for their courage and perseverance. Their stand has secured a wall of protection around every donor, every volunteer, and every ministry that serves women and children out of conviction.
That is the kind of freedom Arizona families deserve, and the kind of freedom Center for Arizona Policy will keep working to defend.