Pro-life activist Matthew Connolly, of St. Paul, Minnesota, is calling on the U.S. Supreme Court to intervene in his case. Connolly, 42, was convicted and sentenced to 90 days in jail for silently praying near a Michigan abortion facility.
The pro-life activist was convicted of violating a vague ordinance in Southfield, which criminalizes behavior that causes "annoyance" or "disquiet" in public spaces, according to the Christian Post.
According to a petition filed with the Supreme Court, his attorneys argue that he never entered the abortion clinic, raised his voice, or disrupted any activity. His legal team says he was arrested while kneeling in prayer in a public common area.
Connolly refused a probation condition that would ban him from engaging in pro-life speech within 500 feet of any abortion facility nationwide. His attorneys argue that banning him from pro-life speech could potentially restrict access to medical care at hospitals that offer abortions. He was jailed and fined.
Advocates for Faith & Freedom and the American Freedom Law Center filed a petition for writ of certiorari with the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday.
"This case is not just about Mr. Connolly," Erin Mersino, an attorney with Advocates for Faith & Freedom, said. "It is about whether the government can silence pro-life Americans and criminalize public prayer. If this unconstitutional gag order is allowed to stand, then no one’s speech is safe."
This isn’t Connolly’s first run-in with the law.
In August 2021, the U.S. Department of Justice filed a civil lawsuit against him for violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act at a Planned Parenthood in Philadelphia. He allegedly barricaded himself in a restroom for over three hours, prompting a SWAT team response and an evacuation of the clinic. More than 40 appointments had to be rescheduled.
According to the Catholic Review, Connolly has been arrested at least eight times across four states. Charges include trespassing and resisting arrest. He has at least four convictions.