Welcome to the TMS Weekly Dispatch for October 14, 2025—with the latest news and updates from the front line, to keep you in-the-know on all things Thomas More Society. If you missed last week’s edition, you can read here.   

Here’s the latest:

DA ALVIN BRAGG’S OFFICE DOUBLES DOWN ON FAILURE TO PROSECUTE ATTACK AGAINST PRO-LIFER: After national backlash over Alvin Bragg’s mishandling of the case involving the assault of a pro-life journalist Savannah Craven Antao, Bragg’s office issued an apology to Savannah admitting it had made an “unacceptable error” in mishandling the case. Despite that acknowledgment and legal research submitted by Thomas More Society to the DA’s office indicating that there was still time to file felony and hate crime charges, the DA nevertheless doubled down on its failure.  

Thomas More Society will move forward with civil action against Brianna Rivers to ensure that Savannah receives justice. “Alvin Bragg’s office will not do its job, but we will do our job,” said Christopher Ferrara, TMS Senior Counsel and lead counsel on Savannah’s civil lawsuit.  

TOTAL VICTORY FOR RELIGIOUS FREEDOM AS WASHINGTON STATE ATTACK ON THE SEAL OF CONFESSION PERMANENTLY BLOCKED: TMS hails complete victory for religious freedom in Washington state, where state officials have agreed to a permanent injunction against Senate Bill 5375, which would have stripped the sacrosanct clergy-penitent privilege and forced priests to report confessional disclosures, in violation of the teachings of the Catholic Church and the Church’s independent governance of the Sacrament of Confession.  

TMS filed an amicus brief challenging SB 5375 on behalf of Bishop Robert Barron, who serves as the Bishop of Winona-Rochester and is founder of Word on Fire Ministries. “We are deeply grateful to Bishop Barron for his steadfast leadership and moral clarity on this issue. His voice served as a reminder that the seal of confession is not a policy choice, but a sacred duty rooted in centuries of faith and freedom,” reacted Michael McHale, TMS Senior Counsel.  

THOMAS MORE SOCIETY ARGUES BEFORE NINTH CIRCUIT DEFENDING RIGHT TO SPEAK THE TRUTH ABOUT ABORTION PILL REVERSAL: Peter Breen, TMS Executive Vice President & Head of Litigation, argued before the Ninth Circuit court on Thursday, in COLFS v. Bonta, a legal challenge to California Attorney General Rob Bonta’s attempt to censor pro-life pregnancy centers from sharing information about life-saving Abortion Pill Reversal.  

• Watch Breen’s post-argument reaction here.

• Read coverage of the oral argument in Courthouse News.

REPLY BRIEF FILED IN LOPEZ V. SAN DIEGO: On October 3^rd, TMS attorneys filed a Reply Brief in Lopez v. San Diego, the legal challenge to San Diego’s unconstitutional no-speech zone ordinance preventing sidewalk counselors like Roger Lopez from sharing a message of hope and compassion with abortion-vulnerable women.  

From the Reply Brief:

“The City’s response confirms the ordinance cannot survive First Amendment scrutiny….[its] errors amount to silent concessions that the law leaves speakers without fair notice and chills protected speech on the very public sidewalks the Constitution most zealously protects.”

“The City rests almost entirely on Hill v. Colorado. But Hill has been hollowed out, denounced as an anomaly, and never approvingly cited… The City’s silence on critical defects and reliance on obsolete precedent seal its fate.”  

Read the full Reply Brief here.  

Learn more about Roger Lopez’s story in this WORLD article.  

PARENTS DEMAND ACCOUNTABILITY AS KIRKWOOD SCHOOL DISTRICT CONTINUES TO STONEWALL COURT-ORDERED DISCOVERY: More than seven months into discovery in Rawlins v. Ulrich, the case to protect parental rights and transparency in Missouri, TMS attorneys have uncovered a disturbing ongoing pattern where Kirkwood School District knowingly and purposely violate Missouri Sunshine Law to avoid turning over public records that would reveal violations of law and policy. Two Missouri parents, represented by TMS, are asking the Court once again to force Kirkwood School District to comply with discovery rules and bring to light information it clearly seeks to hide.

“The Supreme Court recently confirmed in Mahmoud v. Taylor the fundamental principle that parents, not public schools, have the right to guide their children’s upbringing. The dark age of public schools treating parents as enemies and getting away with it is hopefully coming to a close,” said Mary Catherine Martin, TMS Senior Counsel and lead counsel on the case.  

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