The Justice Department on Monday filed a civil complaint under the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act against pro-Palestinian demonstrators accused of violently disrupting a Jewish memorial service in New Jersey last year, marking what officials say is the first time the statute has been used to protect a house of worship.

Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon announced the case Monday, stating prior department leaders, including some within the Biden administration, had failed to apply the law evenly, as Congress intended.