Last week, Alice Marie Pence was arrested in Florida on charges of threatening to kill Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk, a Texas federal judge who earlier this year issued a national injunction on the use of mifepristone in chemical abortions. In a report for Reuters, Brendan Pierson wrote
Alice Marie Pence called the chambers of a federal judge in the federal courthouse in Amarillo, Texas, from Florida around 12 March and threatened to kill him, according to a grand jury indictment. Although not named in the indictment, the only federal judge in Amarillo is US District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk.
The Associated Press has reported that Pence
made her first appearance in federal court in Fort Myers following her arrest, according to court records. She faces charges of making a threatening interstate communication and influencing a federal officer by threat. Her next court appearance is scheduled for 22 November in federal court in Dallas.
The telephone conversation occurred in March, approximately contemporaneous with Judge Kacsmaryk’s hearing regarding mifepristone, colloquially referred to as the “abortion pill.” During the hearing, he stated that he had received death threats. Cassy Fiano-Chesser posited that Judge Kacsmaryk had been responding to criticism over his decision not to make the hearing public.
In a conference call with attorneys at the time, Judge Kacsmaryk stated, “In order to mitigate some of the unwarranted death threats and voicemails and harassment that this division has received since the inception of the case, we will be posting that information later in the day.” It is therefore possible that the document may be filed after the normal business hours, but it will be publicly available.
Furthermore, he observed that other elements of the case have resulted in a considerable number of death threats and protests. “I would like to request that this matter not disrupt your presentation to the court.” Furthermore, Judge Kacsmaryk clarified that this was not a gag order, but rather a request for courtesy given the death threats and harassing phone calls and voicemails that this division has received. It is our intention to conduct a hearing that is as fluid as possible, with all parties being heard. “It would be preferable to limit the publicity surrounding this hearing.”
Mifepristone is employed in conjunction with misoprostol, a prostaglandin, to induce an abortion. Mifepristone inhibits the action of progesterone, resulting in the demise of the unborn child. The second pharmaceutical agent, misoprostol, induces powerful and painful uterine contractions, facilitating the expulsion of the dead or dying infant.
Daniel Miller is responsible for nearly all of National Right to Life News' political writing.
With the election of Donald Trump to the U.S. presidency, Daniel Miller developed a deep obsession with U.S. politics that has never let go of the political scientist. Whether it's the election of Joe Biden, the midterm elections in Congress, the abortion rights debate in the Supreme Court or the mudslinging in the primaries - Daniel Miller is happy to stay up late for you.
Daniel was born and raised in New York. After living in China, working for a news agency and another stint at a major news network, he now lives in Arizona with his two daughters.
