Sunita Doddamani, who served as an assistant U.S. attorney in the Eastern District of Michigan, filed a lawsuit against the Justice Department alleging unlawful and retaliatory termination. She contends her dismissal violated the Civil Service Reform Act, the Administrative Procedure Act, and constitutional protections under the First and Fifth Amendments. The complaint states she was terminated on April 13 without advance notice, due process, or stated cause.
Doddamani’s termination centered on her prosecution of eight anti-abortion activists charged with violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, commonly referred to as the FACE Act. This federal statute prohibits individuals from intentionally interfering with reproductive health care services. According to the lawsuit, at least two other prosecutors who worked on similar FACE Act cases were dismissed the same day. The Justice Department subsequently announced it had removed personnel deemed responsible for what it characterized as misuse of the statute.
One day following the dismissals, the department released a report criticizing the previous administration’s enforcement approach under the FACE Act against anti-abortion activists. The lawsuit asserts that the terminations represent a pattern of “unlawful” dismissals used to advance political objectives. It further argues that DOJ officials have justified employment actions by portraying targeted employees as responsible for cases that have fallen out of favor.
Doddamani’s complaint identifies seven defendants, including Attorney General Todd Blanche and the Justice Department itself. She seeks a declaration that her rights were violated, reinstatement to her position, and back pay along with additional relief. The department declined to elaborate on the dismissals beyond referencing its public statement regarding the termination of personnel connected to FACE Act enforcement. The FACE Act, enacted in the early 1990s, remains subject to ongoing debate regarding its scope and application to free speech concerns raised by abortion opponents.
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