Report: Justice Department fires at least 4 prosecutors tied to Biden-era FACE Act cases

The Department of Justice (DOJ) has fired at least four federal prosecutors who were involved in cases under the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act during the Biden administration, a government official familiar with the matter told CBS News.

The department “has terminated the employment of personnel responsible for weaponizing the FACE Act who still remained at the department,” a DOJ spokesperson said.

According to CBS, Sanjay Patel, a longtime prosecutor in the Civil Rights Division’s criminal section who had been placed on administrative leave last month, was among those fired. The outlet did not identify any other staffers.

The Trump administration has long argued that the Biden administration disproportionately used the FACE Act to target pro-life activists engaged in peaceful prayer or protest outside abortion facilities. In January 2025, President Donald Trump pardoned nearly two dozen pro-lifers whom many argued had been unjustly prosecuted by the Biden DOJ. Some individuals faced several years in prison for peaceful protesting and sidewalk counseling. 

The FACE Act, passed by Congress in 1994, makes it a federal crime to use force, threats, intimidation, or physical obstruction to interfere with people seeking “reproductive health services” or those attending religious services. 

The firings came as the department’s “weaponization working group” — established early in former Attorney General Pam Bondi’s tenure — finalized a report examining how the FACE Act was enforced under the prior administration. 

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