A religious nonprofit group in New Jersey, is taking the state attorney general to court.

First Choice Women's Resource Centers, a self-identified pro-life nonprofit, filed a lawsuit in federal court to block a state subpoena from the AG's office as it investigates the nonprofit for potentially violating anti-consumer fraud laws, claiming the center misled patients and steered them against having abortions.

The center has denied it and is accusing the state of trying to get its hands on sensitive patient documents and internal records.

Senior correspondent Joanna Gagis reports.

A legal battle is waging between New Jersey's attorney General, Matt Platkin, and a crisis pregnancy center with five locations across north and central Jersey called First Choice Women's Resource Centers.

This is a case of unlawful harassment by the new Jersey Attorney General against Pregnancy Centers.

He has engaged in selective enforcement based on speech, because he's kind of shown his cards that he is in favor of abortion clinics.

Lincoln Wilson is an attorney with a Christian law firm that's representing first choice in a federal lawsuit.

The suit came after Attorney General Platkin opened an investigation into the pregnancy centers business practices and issued a subpoena for its records and other documents, including its sponsor list.

Wilson argues that was unlawful.

It violates the First Amendment protections of association.

The classic case on this was when the Alabama attorney general went after the NAACP for its membership list, and the Supreme Court said that that was a harassment campaign designed to go after the NAACP and weaken it.

He says, you see the same thing here in this case, he wants 5000 of first choice, his donors names.

He's not showing any good reason why he needs it.

He has shown that he publicly opposes pregnancy centers, and he's doing this because he's trying to minimize their work.

The First Amendment says you have to meet a high standard for that sort of request.

He hasn't made it here.

In 2022, Platkin issued a consumer alert over crisis pregnancy centers in the state, warning they do not provide abortion care or referrals to abortion care, and that they try to convince pregnant people not to have abortions.

He cautioned that CPCs may appear to be reproductive health care clinics, but also do not provide contraception or other reproductive health care, and that some delay initial appointments to delay access to abortion care.

First choice executive director Amy Huber says they have never advertised anything other than what they do on every page of our website, we clearly state that we do not perform or refer for abortion, and whenever anyone calls or contacts us, we say the same thing.

We are careful to advertise the services that we provide and not the services that we do not provide.

As for the services they do provide, Huber says.

We provide free pregnancy testing, ultrasounds to medically confirm pregnancy material assistance, parenting program after abortion, support and care.

But First Choice does have an entire section on their website dedicated to abortion information, including all of the different abortion methods available in new Jersey and the costs associated with them.

Even though this information is not provided upon entering the center, the AG's office won't offer a comment on pending litigation.

But when the suit was first filed, Michael Simon, spokesperson for the attorney general, said under long standing new Jersey law, nonprofits operating in our state cannot engage in deception about the work they do.

And new Jersey law provides the Attorney General clear authority to investigate nonprofits that may be violating those requirements.

As for their list of sponsors, the attorney general's theory is that first choice is misleading its donors into not understanding that it's a pro-life organization.

So he wants the names of every donor who attended a first choice benefit dinner, who gave a through a church baby bottle campaign, who gave a gift of stock.

He says all these people didn't know they were giving to a pro-life organization when they did that.

To that point, Amy, were you clear with all of your donors as to what and who they were supporting?

Are you clear with them consistently?

We are absolutely clear with them about what they are supporting.

And it's interesting because most of our donors hear about us through their church, which would also have a similar pro-life viewpoint and stand.

Their federal suit is requesting an end to the AG's subpoena.

Meanwhile, Platkin has filed suit in state court seeking compliance with his subpoena.

Both sides are confident the courts will rule in their favor.

For NJ Spotlight News, I'm Joanna Gagis.