A federal judge in Alabama has denied the Southern Poverty Law Center’s attempt to throw out its criminal indictment, ruling that the group failed to prove it was being targeted for political reasons or its speech.
U.S. District Judge Emily C. Marks issued the order on August 7, rejecting the SPLC’s motion to dismiss the case or get discovery into the government’s motives. The SPLC had argued it was being vindictively prosecuted at the direction of President Trump and other officials because of its criticism of the administration and its “Hate Map” that labels conservative groups.
The eleven-count indictment, unsealed earlier this year, charges the SPLC with six counts of wire fraud, four counts of false statements to a federally-insured bank, and one count of conspiracy to commit concealment money laundering. Prosecutors say the charges stem from the SPLC’s long-running “informant program,” in which it paid consultants to infiltrate and report on various groups.
Judge Marks found the SPLC offered only speculation and conjecture. Statements criticizing the organization from Trump, FBI Director Kash Patel, and other officials did not show that the actual prosecutors in the Middle District of Alabama acted out of animus. The court noted the investigation into the SPLC’s informant program began during Trump’s first term, was closed under the Biden administration, and later restarted.
The judge emphasized that federal courts are not the place to settle political fights. “Missing here is the requisite objective evidence” that the prosecution was brought because the SPLC exercised its First Amendment rights, she wrote. The motion was denied in full.
Read the Ruling.
