We are urgently seeking 500 new Life Defenders (monthly supporters) before the end of October to help save babies from abortion 365 days a year. Your first gift as a Life Defender today will be DOUBLED. Click here to make your monthly commitment.
Judge with Planned Parenthood ties orders undercover pro-life journalist to pay $195k fine
Last week, the Ninth Circuit Court refused to consider an appeal by David Daleiden, the citizen journalist who exposed alleged trafficking of baby body parts obtained in abortions. The appeal was of a $195,000 fine imposed by District Judge William Orrick for Daleiden’s allegedly violating a disputed gag order.
The Thomas More Society, which has been defended Daleiden for more than three years, released a statement about the developments. “First, Mr. Daleiden and his criminal defense counsel remain subject to an exorbitant penalty for doing nothing other than trying to defend him against baseless, politically motivated criminal charges,” said Sarah Pitlyk, special counsel for the society and a member of Daleiden’s defense team.
“Even worse than that,” she added, “the Ninth Circuit also essentially ratified the federal court’s improper interference in Mr. Daleiden’s state criminal case, tying the defense’s hands going forward.”
The gag order is particularly questionable given Judge Orrick’s relationship with the abortion industry. In a previous press release, Tom Brejcha, president and chief counsel for the Thomas More Society said, “You’ll recall that Judge Orrick has close ties to Planned Parenthood, and his wife is an outspoken abortion activist. This is another frustrating setback for David — especially after … the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear our appeal of the ‘gag order’ injunction Judge Orrick hit David with at the request of the National Abortion Federation.”
Dear Reader,
Every day in America, more than 2,800 preborn babies lose their lives to abortion.
That number should break our hearts and move us to action.
Ending this tragedy requires daily commitment from people like you who refuse to stay silent.
Millions read Live Action News each month — imagine the impact if each of us took a stand for life 365 days a year.
Right now, we’re urgently seeking 500 new Life Defenders (monthly donors) to join us before the end of October. And thanks to a generous $250,000 matching grant, your first monthly gift will be DOUBLED to help save lives and build a culture that protects the preborn.
Will you become one of the 500 today? Click here now to become a Live Action Life Defender and have your first gift doubled.
Together, we can end abortion and create a future where every child is cherished and every mother is supported.
Despite attempts by the Thomas More Society to have Daleiden’s cases moved to a judge without an apparent bias, the court has refused. Judge Orrick did not recuse himself, and now his overly zealous gag order and fine remain. Thomas More continues to further Daleiden’s defense.
Live Action News is pro-life news and commentary from a pro-life perspective.
Contact editor@liveaction.org for questions, corrections, or if you are seeking permission to reprint any Live Action News content.
Guest Articles: To submit a guest article to Live Action News, email editor@liveaction.org with an attached Word document of 800-1000 words. Please also attach any photos relevant to your submission if applicable. If your submission is accepted for publication, you will be notified within three weeks. Guest articles are not compensated (see our Open License Agreement). Thank you for your interest in Live Action News!
Issues
