“This is obstruction of religious worship,” Dhillon said, noting that the FACE Act explicitly covers access to houses of worship, though it had never been used that way until now. “We’re not ruling out criminal charges in this case… not only under the FACE Act, but potentially under other laws,” she said. The DOJ’s decision to invoke the FACE Act in defense of Jewish worshippers reflects a broader rebalancing in how the statute is enforced. The Trump DOJ has signaled that reversing Biden-era prosecutions under the FACE Act is a top priority, while some Republican lawmakers have sought to repeal the statute altogether over allegations of its weaponization. “We’re going to use the FACE Act in all of its intended applications,” Dhillon said.