Troy
Newman & Judge William Orrick
John R. Houk
© August 5, 2017
On July 14, 2015, the Center for
Medical Progress (CMP) released its first undercover Planned Parenthood video,
blowing the whistle on the abortion industry’s practice of illegally harvesting
and selling the body parts of aborted babies.
Just 17 days later, the National
Abortion Federation (NAF) filed a lawsuit against CMP and ultimately
secured a preliminary injunction against lead investigator and
CMP founder David Daleiden. The injunction prohibited him from releasing any
footage obtained during NAF conferences and meetings, which David had attended
undercover with the goal of exposing illegal activity by the abortion industry.
Fast forward almost two
years—and the lawsuit is still ongoing. Meanwhile, Daleiden’s footage from the
NAF conference remains under lock and key, leaving some to wonder what secrets
NAF is trying to hide. (Abortion Industry’s Interests Should Never
Outweigh Public Concerns or First Amendment Rights; By Marissa Mayer; Alliance
Defending Freedom; 4/21/17)
U.S. District Judge William Orrick violated the First
Amendment Rights of the Center for Medical Progress
(CMP) by gagging all undercover videos exposing the murderous intent by National
Abortion Federation (NAF) in trafficking aborted and live birth baby parts for
profit. Planned Parenthood was stung the same way.
Leftists in law enforcement are doing their best to cover-up these nefarious
murders and felonious activities with baby part trafficking.
U.S. District Judge William Orrick,
who granted the preliminary injunction in favor of the National Abortion
Federation to halt the release of the videos, ordered any links to the video to be removed after
it was published by the Center for Medical Progress on Thursday.
Judge Orrick also ordered CMP lead
investigator David Daleiden and his attorneys to appear in court June 14, The
Associated Press reported, for a hearing where he will consider holding them in
contempt for releasing the footage.
Mr. Daleiden has been charged with
15 felonies in California stemming from his undercover investigation into the
abortion giant. His attorneys have called it a “witch hunt” that flies in the
face of the First Amendment.
YouTube has not responded to a
request for comment.
The three-minute video showed top
Planned Parenthood executives joking about severed fetus heads, admitting to
altering abortion procedures to preserve fetal organs and conceding that clinics
have a financial incentive to sell the human remains from abortions. (YouTube removes latest Planned Parenthood
video on judge’s order; By Bradford Richardson; Washington Times; 5/26/17)
Judge Orrick took advantage of the 9th Circuit
Appellate Court’s unfavorable ruling to make that gag order.
The abortion industry has
desperately tried to suppress and delegitimize the work of CMP, including
through the use of litigation. We represent former CMP board member Troy Newman
– who is also the President of Operation Rescue – in lawsuits filed by the National
Abortion Federation (NAF) as well as Planned Parenthood Federation of America
(PPFA) and numerous Planned Parenthood affiliates, and we recently filed briefs
in both cases.
In the NAF case,
the trial court issued a preliminary injunction that prevents the defendants
from publishing videos or materials relating to NAF conferences, or sharing
such information with anyone, including state Attorneys General or local law
enforcement officers, while the case moves forward. The defendants have
appealed the decision to the U.S. Court of Appeals to the Ninth Circuit, and we
recently filed a reply brief (under seal by court order) that emphasizes that
government investigators, and the general public, have a compelling interest in
being able to review the videos and materials themselves.
In the PPFA case, we recently filed a
reply brief supporting our motion to dismiss the lawsuit. Our
brief explains that all of the claims – such as wire fraud, racketeering, and
breach of contract – are meritless, so the case should be dismissed. (Two Briefs Filed in Fight to Expose Illegal
Abortion Practices; By ACLJ.org;
7/2016)
One of the founders of CMP, Troy Newman, has filed a
petition with the Supreme Court to win back the First Amendment Right to expose
the crimes of Planned Parenthood.
Here is the Press Release that I first received in my Inbox
from Operation Rescue; however, I’m cross posting the PR
from ChristianNewsWire.com.
JRH 8/5/17
*****************
Newman Files Petition with Supreme Court Challenging Gag
Order that Bans Sharing Evidence with Law Enforcement
PRESS RELEASE
August 4, 2017
Contact: Troy Newman, President, 316-683-6790 ext. 111;
Cheryl Sullenger, Senior Vice President , 316-516-3034; both with Operation
Rescue, info.operationrescue@gmail.com
WASHINGTON, Aug. 4, 2017 /Christian
Newswire/ -- Troy Newman, president of Operation Rescue and a
founding member of the Center for Medical Progress, filed a petition yesterday
to the U.S. Supreme Court, challenging the Constitutionality of a preliminary
injunction that prohibits the release of undercover videos recorded at National
Abortion Federation (NAF) meetings - even to law enforcement when they contain
evidence of crimes.
The petition, captioned Newman v. National Abortion
Federation, states:
This Petition stems from an
injunction forbidding the voluntary disclosure to law enforcement agencies,
other governmental bodies, and the general public of recordings and other
information that the enjoined individuals and entities-as well as Congressional
investigators-believe are evidence of widespread criminal, illegal, and
unethical conduct, including felonies.
Newman is represented by Jay Sekulow, who leads Newman's
team of attorneys from the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ).
During Newman's tenure on the Board of the Center for
Medical Progress, the NAF, and later Planned Parenthood, filed suits in a San
Francisco Federal Court against Newman and others in an effort to prevent the
release of further undercover videos that exposed the illegal trade in aborted
baby body parts.
And it is little wonder that the NAF would not want the
videos released.
Newman's Supreme Court Petition notes that Congressional
investigations conducted by the Senate Judiciary Committee and
the House Select Investigative Panel on Infant
Lives referred members of the National Abortion Federation and
Planned Parenthood to federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies for
criminal investigation and prosecution.
Newman argues that the enjoined recordings corroborate the
determination of the two Congressional investigations, which found evidence
that NAF members (including several Planned Parenthood organizations) were
engaged in the following criminal conduct:
§ Profiting from the sale of fetal organs;
§ Altering abortion procedures for financial gain;
§ Performing illegal partial-birth abortions;
§ Killing newborns who survived attempted abortions;
§ Failing to obtain informed consent for fetal tissue
donations;
§ Violating federal regulations regarding Institutional Review
Boards (IRBs); and
§ Fraudulent overbilling practices.
Newman's petition further states:
It has long been a tenet of
Anglo-American jurisprudence that individuals who believe that they have
information concerning criminal or illegal activities should be permitted, and
encouraged, to voluntarily provide such information to government authorities.
Similarly, investigative journalism concerning matters of public concern,
including the uncovering of illegal, unethical, or troubling activities, is a
constitutionally protected, venerable undertaking.
Newman's unsuccessful appeal to the Ninth Circuit was joined
by state 14 Attorneys General, led by Arizona, who are seeking to review the
evidence contained in the recordings.
As the most important abortion case currently under
litigation, Newman v. NAF could have profound implications on the
future use of undercover investigative techniques and the ability of law
enforcement to gather evidence in criminal investigations.
Operation Rescue is one of the leading pro-life Christian
activist organizations in the nation and has become a strong voice for the
pro-life movement in America. Click here to
support Operation Rescue.
____________________
Challenging Activist Judge & NAF
John R. Houk
© August 5, 2017
__________________
Newman Files Petition with Supreme Court Challenging Gag Order that
Bans Sharing Evidence with Law Enforcement
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