Mark Houck Celebrates 7-Figure Settlement After Biden’s Harassment

Pro-life activist Mark Houck has won a seven-figure settlement from the U.S. Department of Justice after the Biden administration’s FBI raided his home and prosecuted him under the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act.

The settlement, confirmed by 40 Days for Life, awards Houck’s family more than $1 million and resolves his lawsuit alleging wrongful prosecution, excessive force and constitutional violations. He celebrated it in a new video interview.

In 2022, heavily armed federal agents stormed Houck’s Pennsylvania home and arrested the father of seven at gunpoint in front of his wife and children. The raid followed an incident in which Houck stepped in to protect his young son from an aggressive abortion-clinic escort outside a Planned Parenthood facility.

Local authorities had not pursued criminal charges.

The Biden DOJ charged Houck under the FACE Act, placing him at risk of up to 11 years in federal prison.

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A federal jury in Philadelphia acquitted him on all counts in January 2023 after deliberating for only one hour.

Represented by the 40 Days for Life Institute of Law & Justice, Houck then sued the department.

Shawn Carney, CEO and president of 40 Days for Life, announced the settlement and called it a clear accountability victory.

“This is the biggest example of Biden’s DOJ being held accountable for targeting and persecuting pro-life Americans,” Carney said. “We were honored to represent Mark, along with many other great people, to secure justice and restore confidence that pro-life Americans can go out and pray without fear of their government.”

Carney also described the outcome as “a huge legal victory for free speech” and “a bigger victory for the pro-life movement at large.”

Pro-life leaders see the settlement as a significant rebuke of the prior administration’s use of federal power against peaceful sidewalk counseling and prayer. They say it strengthens the ability of Americans to offer help and prayer outside abortion facilities without fear of government intimidation.