Mark Houck, the pro-life father arrested by a 25-person FBI SWAT team in front of his children in 2022, secured a seven-figure settlement from the Department of Justice after a three-year legal battle. The Trump administration’s DOJ awarded Houck more than $1 million, acknowledging what his attorneys called a politically motivated prosecution under the Biden administration.
SWAT Team Raid Over Planned Parenthood Incident
The FBI descended on Houck’s home on September 23, 2022, with approximately 25 agents, allegedly with guns drawn, to arrest him over a 2021 incident at a Philadelphia Planned Parenthood clinic. Federal prosecutors charged Houck with violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act after he allegedly pushed a Planned Parenthood volunteer who was harassing his son during a prayer vigil. Houck filed suit in 2023, accusing the Justice Department of conducting a faulty investigation and using excessive force during the arrest.
🚨 HOLY SMOKES. The Trump DOJ is dropping another bombshell
The Biden-Merrick Garland DOJ's weaponization more than DOUBLED prison sentences for pro-life activists compared to pro-abortion ones
"It claims the Biden Justice Department, led by former Attorney General Merrick… pic.twitter.com/ilDfrCmg3c
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) April 14, 2026
Steve Crampton, Houck’s attorney at the Thomas More Society, praised the Trump administration’s willingness to correct the previous administration’s actions. The settlement came after an activist judge initially blocked negotiations between Houck and the Trump-led Justice Department last year, according to Houck’s statements to media outlets.
DOJ Report Reveals Selective Prosecution
The settlement coincides with a Justice Department report released this week that examined more than 700,000 internal records. The review found that Biden administration officials selectively prosecuted pro-life activists under the FACE Act while working closely with Planned Parenthood, the National Abortion Federation, and the Feminist Majority Foundation. These organizations helped compile information on pro-life activists used in investigations and prosecutions, according to the report.
The report also revealed that Biden DOJ prosecutors knowingly withheld evidence that defense counsel requested to prepare an affirmative defense. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche stated the department will not tolerate a two-tiered system of justice, vowing to restore integrity to the prosecutorial system after what he characterized as weaponization under the Biden administration.
Implications for Pro-Life Activists
Crampton indicated Houck may not be the only wrongfully accused defendant to receive compensation, suggesting the Trump administration is reviewing other cases involving pro-life activists prosecuted under the Biden DOJ. The settlement represents the first major acknowledgment of what conservatives characterized as politically motivated targeting of Americans exercising their First Amendment rights outside abortion facilities. The FACE Act makes it a federal crime to use force or physical obstruction that injures, intimidates, or interferes with a person seeking reproductive health services.