ACLJ: Supreme Court Delivers Major Victory for Pro-Life Movement by Putting End to Marathon Abortion Protest Case.

WASHINGTON -- The American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), which is Counsel of Record in one of the pro-life cases decided today by the Supreme Court, said the high court's unanimous decision in favor of pro-life demonstrators is a welcomed victory that once and for all puts an end to marathon litigation by ruling unanimously that a federal statute designed to go after drug dealers and organized crime cannot be used against pro-life demonstrators.

The ACLJ is Counsel of Record for Operation Rescue - one of several pro-life defendants in a racketeering suit brought by the National Organization for Women.

"This is a major victory for the pro-life community and removes a cloud that has been hanging over pro-life demonstrators for years," said Jay Sekulow, Chief Counsel of the ACLJ, who served as Counsel of Record for Operation Rescue in the case. "The Supreme Court could not have been any clearer in its decision that the actions of the pro-life demonstrators in this case fall outside the scope of the federal Hobbs Act, and therefore the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) statute - a law designed to combat drug dealers and organized crime. By ordering the lower court to enter a ruling in favor of the pro-life demonstrators and organizations in this case, a nearly two-decade-old litigation marathon has ended. It's an important victory for the pro-life movement and finally brings an end to this meritless case."

The Supreme Court today ruled unanimously in favor of pro-life demonstrators and organizations in the cases of Operation Rescue v. NOW. (No. 04-1352) and Scheidler v. NOW (No. 04-1244) - which were considered together by the high court.

Led by Chief Counsel Jay Sekulow, the American Center for Law and Justice specializes in constitutional law and is based in Washington, D.C. The ACLJ is online at www.aclj.org.