Hearing Friday on temporary restraining order against NY’s Broome Community Collegehttp://www.alliancedefensefund.org/news/story.aspx?cid=4841 ALLIANCE DEFENSE FUND MEDIA ADVISORY ADF attorney representing church will be available for media interviews SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Alliance Defense Fund Legal Counsel Tim Chandler will be available for media interviews following an emergency court hearing Friday in the case of a church being swept off the campus of Broome Community College in Binghamton. “Churches shouldn’t be discriminated against for their beliefs,” said Chandler. “The courts have long held that public officials cannot say, ‘I’m sorry, but we only rent to non-religious groups here.’ The Constitution prohibits that type of discrimination. We are asking the court for a temporary restraining order that will allow the church to keep meeting for the time being. It’s ironic that, at a time of economic downturn, the college is willing to place unconstitutional discrimination ahead of the rental income it receives from the church.” ADF attorneys representing North Pointe Church filed suit Monday. Local counsel Raymond J. Dague of Syracuse will also be present at the hearing. The church had been holding meetings regularly in a rented facility on the Broome Community College campus for several months, but college officials notified the church that it would no longer be able to continue to rent space to the church because of alleged complaints the school received by people who had seen or received advertisements from the church. The college allows private groups to rent its facilities on a regular basis. ADF attorneys argue that religious groups have equal access to public services and accommodations under the law and cannot be subject to discrimination based on the fact that the groups hold to a religious viewpoint–especially as paying customers. • Fact sheet on the lawsuit 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.
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