WASHINGTON, D.C., April 29, 2026—The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention expresses strong support for the U.S. Supreme Court’s unanimous ruling in First Choice Women’s Resource Centers, Inc. v. Davenport (formerly First Choice Women’s Resource Centers, Inc. v. Platkin).
The 9-0 decision, handed down today, represents a significant procedural and constitutional victory for religious liberty and pro-life organizations.
In this case, the state of New Jersey intentionally targeted a pregnancy center for its pro-life convictions and issued a subpoena for personal information of its donors in an attempt to intimidate its supporters. Today’s Supreme Court ruling upheld that First Choice has the right to pursue protection of its First Amendment rights in federal court when such a demand is made, for as long as that demand remains outstanding, and does not have to wait until the subpoena is enforced.
The ERLC has long advocated for the protection of pregnancy resource centers as they provide vital services to women in crisis and believes they should not be coerced or intimidated by state officials.
“In this strong, unanimous ruling, the Supreme Court made clear that New Jersey’s attempt to collect personal information about First Choice’s donors is a constitutional injury and harms their right of free association,” said Dr. Miles Mullin, ERLC executive vice president and chief of staff. “The justices correctly recognized this for what it is: the state aggressively using its investigative powers to retaliate against or hinder the activities of organizations whose ideological or religious beliefs it dislikes, striking at the very heart of the First Amendment. Today’s decision will ensure pregnancy resource centers, doing ministry in states hostile to their mission of serving women, babies, and families, can challenge government overreach.”
The ERLC signed on to an amicus brief in August 2025 in support of First Choice. That brief was cited in today’s Supreme Court’s ruling.
This decision on standing debunks the arguments of the New Jersey attorney general and reverses the decision of the Third Circuit, allowing First Choice to continue with federal court proceedings to argue that their First Amendment rights were, in fact, at stake.
