ACLJ: Supreme Court Rejects Use Of RICO Against Pro-Life Movement Representing Tremendous Victory For Social Protests
February 26, 2003

(Washington, DC) - The American Center for Law and Justice, an international public interest law firm, said today's decision by the U.S. Supreme Court declaring that the use of the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) statute - a law designed to combat drug dealers and organized crime - was wrongly used against the pro-life movement.

"This decision is a tremendous victory for those who engage in social protests," said Jay Sekulow, Chief Counsel of the ACLJ, who served as Counsel of Record for Operation Rescue in the case. "The Supreme Court forcefully rejected the argument that pro-life demonstrators were racketeers engaged in extortion. The decision removes a cloud that has been hanging over the pro-life movement for 15 years. The ruling clearly shuts the door on using RICO against the pro-life movement."

The ACLJ filed a brief with the Supreme Court on behalf of Operation Rescue in the consolidation of the cases of Scheidler v. National Organization for Women (NOW) and Operation Rescue v. National Organization for Women. Sekulow served as Counsel of Record in the Operation Rescue case and worked with the legal team that presented arguments before the Supreme Court.

In its brief, the ACLJ contended that a non-violent pro-life sit-in at an abortion business does not qualify as federal criminal extortion. The ACLJ asked the Supreme Court to overturn a federal appeals court ruling in 2001 that upheld a lower court judgment that determined that pro-life defendants were liable for "extortion" and "racketeering" under the federal RICO statute and awarded damages to abortion businesses, while upholding a nationwide injunction issued against the pro-life groups.

The American Center for Law and Justice is an international public interest law firm that specializes in constitutional law and the defense of life. The ACLJ is headquartered in Virginia Beach, VA and the web site is www.aclj.org.