NJ Attorney General Platkin Says He Defends Nonprofits, But His Actions Tell a Different Story

New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin made a bold statement on October 10th. On his X account, he blasted the Trump administration for “attacking nonprofits’ freedom of speech,” warning that government should never pressure organizations or demand sensitive information about their supporters.

But here’s the problem, Platkin is doing exactly what he criticized.

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In case heard December 2 by the U.S. Supreme Court, his office is fighting to enforce a sweeping subpoena against a New Jersey nonprofit, First Choice Women’s Resource Center. That subpoena demands years of internal records, including donor lists, staff information, and private communications — the very types of disclosures Platkin railed against when he accused the Trump administration of using them.

First Choice, a faith-based pregnancy center network, argues that this violates both its free-speech rights and freedom of association and exposes its supporters. Even the ACLU says the state’s demands go too far. Yet Platkin insists the investigation is simply “consumer protection” and therefore justified.

Platkin’s public message and his legal actions don’t match. You can’t champion nonprofits’ freedom one day and compel their private information the next. Free speech isn’t something leaders should protect only when it’s politically convenient.

In First Choice Women’s Resource Centers v. Platkin, the Supreme Court will decide how far states can go in demanding records from nonprofits. But the contradiction is already evident. Platkin’s words say one thing; his subpoena says another.

In the end, Platkin talks like a civil-liberties champion but acts like the very threat he condemns.

LifeNews.com Note: Marie Tasy is the executive director of New Jersey Right to Life.