ACLJ: Supreme Court Rejects Use of RICO Against Pro-life Movement Representing Tremendous Victory for Social Protests.Business Editors/Legal Writers WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 26, 2003 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 extortion n. obtaining money or property by threat to a victim's property or loved ones, intimidation, or false claim of a right (such as pretending to be an I.R.S. agent). It is a felony in all states, except that a direct threat to harm the victim is usually treated as the crime of robbery. Blackmail is a form of extortion in which the threat is to expose embarrassing damaging information to family, friends or the public. (See: blackmail, robbery, theft). 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 National Organization for Women (NOW), group founded (1966) to support "full equality for women in America in a truly equal partnership with men." Its founder and first president was feminist leader Betty Friedan, author of The Feminine Mystique (1963). Through a program of legislative lobbying, court litigation, and public demonstrations, NOW seeks to end sexual discrimination in employment. (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 racketeering n. the federal crime of conspiring to organize to commit crimes, particularly as a regular business ("organized crime" or "the Mafia")." 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. |
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