The Left has gotten away with lawlessness for years. The Trump admin is done with it.
Because Trump’s DOJ just turned the Left’s favorite weapon around on them with this one big announcement.
Trump Administration Redirects FACE Act to Shield Synagogue Attendees, Stirring Debate
The Trump administration has taken a striking turn, suggesting a law long used to jail pro-life protesters should now target those accused of harassing Jews at a California synagogue. On Friday, the Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a “statement of interest” backing a lawsuit that claims a violent mob of anti-Israel activists blocked access to a Los Angeles synagogue in June 2024. The DOJ contends that, if the lawsuit’s allegations hold true, such actions violate the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act — a statute many conservatives despise for its use against pro-lifers but which also protects houses of worship.
Donald Trump’s Department of Justice is now seeking to use this law against the radical Left, which has long been used to harass pro-lifers with legal warfare and threats of prison time. This shift signals a practical move by the administration, tapping into existing law to combat antisemitism while dodging the larger fight over the FACE Act’s validity. For a presidency often pegged as partisan, this approach feels steady and focused on safety over ideological score-settling.
The lawsuit, filed by StandWithUs’s Center for Legal Justice, names activist groups like CodePink, Palestinian Youth Movement, Honor the Earth, and the Westchester People’s Action Coalition (WESPAC) Foundation, plus two unnamed individuals. It paints a chaotic scene outside Adas Torah Synagogue, where a protest against an Israeli real estate event turned violent.
The filing alleges assaults, bear spray attacks on Jewish attendees and others, and a physical barricade around the building. Videos show tense clashes, with one pro-Israel demonstrator wrestled down and bloodied. Oddly, the only arrest that day was of a pro-Israel protester, nabbed for carrying an illegal spiked flagpole — a fact that begs questions about enforcement fairness.
Happening now: Brawls are breaking out in the street between pro-Palestine and pro-Israel factions after the far-left surrounded the Adas Torah Synagogue in Los Angeles. pic.twitter.com/y40J71uyEM
— Andy Ngo (@MrAndyNgo) June 23, 2024
Carly F. Gammill, who leads StandWithUs’s legal efforts and launched the suit on July 24 (later expanding it to include more defendants), praised the DOJ’s stance. “The Statement of Interest from the Department of Justice is a most welcome development in our case against antisemitic rioters,” she told reporters. “We are immensely grateful for the government’s recognition that members of the Jewish community must be able to engage in religious exercise without intimidation or fear for their physical safety—and for the government’s demonstrated commitment to using the legal means at its disposal to combat antisemitism.” Her statement carries heft, echoing a sense that Trump’s team is stepping in where past efforts lagged.
The DOJ’s filing cuts to the chase: if the lawsuit’s claims prove accurate, the activists’ actions amount to “a physical obstruction within the meaning of the FACE Act,” making them illegal. The department emphasized its stake in the case, saying it’s “using all available and appropriate legal tools to prosecute, remove, or otherwise hold to account the perpetrators of unlawful antisemitic harassment and violence.” This aligns with Trump’s consistent push to defend religious freedom, a theme he’s kept front and center since his first term.
The FACE Act, though, remains a hot-button issue. Conservatives like Rep. Chip Roy of Texas have slammed it, especially after the Biden administration leaned on it to lock up nonviolent pro-life activists — some elderly, some facing years in prison. Trump pardoned several of these folks in his first week back in office, a move that solidified his pro-life credentials.
Critics like Heritage Foundation’s Thomas Jipping question the law’s foundation. “The FACE Act should be repealed primarily because Congress had no constitutional authority to enact it,” Jipping told the Daily Caller News Foundation. In a Heritage paper out Monday, he and a co-author argue the 1994 law acts as “a weapon” against “pro-life activity and expression,” built to defend an abortion “right” that doesn’t exist.
Even so, Jipping concedes its scope. “Since the FACE Act … does apply explicitly to houses of worship, however, it should be enforced even-handedly as long as it is on the books,” he said. It’s a reasonable position — use the law fairly while it’s still around. The Trump DOJ seems to agree, guided by a January memo limiting FACE Act use in abortion cases to “extraordinary circumstances” like death or serious harm. This synagogue incident, with its alleged violence, fits that threshold without wading into the abortion debate.
Compare that to Biden’s tenure. He called the synagogue clash “un-American” on X a day later, but his DOJ didn’t budge. Under him, the FACE Act hit pro-lifers hard; under Trump, it’s pivoting to shield religious spaces from tangible threats. The accused groups — CodePink, Palestinian Youth Movement, WESPAC Foundation, and Honor the Earth — didn’t reply to inquiries from reporters, leaving their perspective absent. The DOJ’s public affairs office also stayed silent.
This isn’t about overhauling the system — it’s about working with what’s on the table. Trump’s DOJ isn’t campaigning to ditch the FACE Act here; it’s aiming it at a clear problem: violence at a place of worship. The move feels calculated yet fair, leaning on practicality over dogma. Whether it quiets conservatives itching to repeal the law or satisfies skeptics crying foul over selective use is up in the air. For now, it’s a solid action toward security — a sign that even a flawed law can do right when guided by steady hands.
The Conservative Column will update you on any further updates from the Trump administration’s Department of Justice.
