Fla. court: Voters should get say on ending discrimination against faith-based charities
ALLIANCE DEFENSE FUND NEWS RELEASE
August 4, 2008 – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT ADF MEDIA RELATIONS: (480) 444-0020 or www.telladf.org/pressroom
Fla. court: Voters should get say
on ending discrimination against faith-based charities
ADF-allied attorneys win ruling against groups seeking to block voter input
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — A Florida court ruled Monday that voters have a right to decide whether to end public funding discrimination against religious individuals and groups for non-religious social services and programs. Alliance Defense Fund allied attorneys represent five religious charities in the Sunshine State.
“It’s wrong to deny funding for non-religious purposes to non-profit groups or individuals simply because they are religious,” said ADF Senior Counsel Joe Infranco. “The court made the correct decision when it ruled that Florida voters should have a voice in determining whether the state constitution will continue to allow religious discrimination in public programs.”
If approved, Amendment 7 would repeal a section of the Florida Constitution barring individuals and other entities from participating in public programs solely because of their religious nature, while Amendment 9 would amend the constitution to allow limited state support for private education costs.
The American Civil Liberties Union and other groups filed a lawsuit seeking to prevent Floridians from voting on either amendment.
ADF-allied attorney Nathan Adams IV, senior counsel at Holland & Knight, LLP, represents the Florida Catholic Conference, Mercy Hospital, Friends of Lubavitch Florida, Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Miami, and the Association of Christian Schools International, all of whom successfully intervened as defendants in the lawsuit on July 10 (www.telladf.org/news/story.aspx?cid=4601).
A copy of the order issued by the Circuit Court of the Second Judicial Circuit in and for Leon County in Ford v. Browning is available at www.telladf.org/UserDocs/BrowningWin.pdf.
“It’s a shame that some groups wish to remove the right of the people to determine where they receive badly needed social services,” said Adams. “Religious non-profits provide innumerable benefits in this regard to the citizens of Florida, particularly to individuals who have no where else to turn.”
ADF is a legal alliance of Christian attorneys and like-minded organizations defending the right of people to freely live out their faith. Launched in 1994, ADF employs a unique combination of strategy, training, funding, and litigation to protect and preserve religious liberty, the sanctity of life, marriage, and the family.