Category Archives: Uncategorized

Washington Times: Rep. Stephen Lynch, Massachusetts Democrat, warned IRS and Treasury Department witnesses before the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform not to stonewall congressional efforts to get to the bottom of the scandal.

RH Reality Check: Finally, in Washington state the Alliance Defending Freedom has filed a counter-suit against Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson on behalf of a florist sued by the state after she refused to provide flowers for a wedding ceremony of a same-sex couple. The counter-suit argues that the state’s lawsuit is an attempt to force the florist to act contrary to her deeply held religious beliefs and in violation of the Washington state constitution, which has in it a specific clause protecting the rights of conscience and religion.

The Advocate: “In America, the government is supposed to protect freedom, not use its intolerance for certain viewpoints to intimidate citizens into acting contrary to their faith convictions. Family business owners are constitutionally guaranteed the freedom to live and work according to their beliefs,” said Dale Schowengerdt, senior legal counsel for the Alliance Defending Freedom, which is defending Stutzman.

Pink News: Attorneys from the Alliance Defending Freedom legal ministry, filed the new lawsuit on behalf of Stutzman on Thursday, at Benton County Superior Court, reports the Associated Press. Senior Legal Counsel Dale Schowengerdt, released in a statement saying: ”Everyone knows that plenty of florists are willing to assist in same-sex ceremonies, so the state has no reason to force Barronelle to violate her deeply held beliefs.”

Think Progress: The suit claims that Stutzman is entitled to religious conscience protections that allow her to ignore nondiscrimination protections, as ADF attorney Dale Schowengerdt attempted to explain to WorldNetDaily . . .

Towerload: “In America, the government is supposed to protect freedom, not use its intolerance for certain viewpoints to intimidate citizens into acting contrary to their faith convictions,” said Alliance Senior Legal Counsel Dale Schowengerdt. “Family business owners are constitutionally guaranteed the freedom to live and work according to their beliefs. It is this very freedom that gives America its cherished diversity and protects citizens from state-mandated conformity.

On Top Magazine: Dale Schowengerdt, senior legal counsel with the ADF, said Stutzman had a right to refuse service based on her religious convictions. “In America, the government is supposed to protect freedom, not use its intolerance for certain viewpoints to intimidate citizens into acting contrary to their faith convictions,” he said. “Family business owners are constitutionally guaranteed the freedom to live and work according to their beliefs.”

Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty: The counter suit, filed by an anti-gay-marriage group called Alliance Defending Freedom, argues that Ferguson’s suit is attempting to force Barronelle Stutzman to act contrary to her religious convictions in violation of her freedoms under the state constitution.

Gayopolis: Whenever there’s a lawsuit like this, scratch the surface and you’ll find the odious Alliance Defending Freedom (formerly the Alliance Defense Fund) behind it. One more thing to thank Arizona for.

National Religious Broadcasters Email (links to Alliance Defending Freedom press release): At the government’s own request, a federal appellate court has dismissed the Obama administration’s appeal of an order that stopped the President from enforcing his abortion pill mandate against Tyndale House Publishers.

P.O. Box 566  w  Charleston, WV 25322  w  (304) 553-7616 w  www.familypolicywv.com   NEWS Release   FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 15, 2013 CONTACT:  Jeremiah G. Dys, Esq. Phone: (304) 553-7616 E-mail:  info@familypolicywv.com FPCWV calls for immediate safety stand-down of abortion industry in WV   Urges lawmakers to reject a …

Womenenews via Reuters: On May 22, the Alliance Defending Freedom, a nonprofit center based in Scottsdale, Ariz., is hoping that the 7th Court of Appeals in Chicago will issue an injunction so its client, Grote Industries, won’t be subjected to fines for not providing the contraceptive coverage required by law since Jan. 1. (newly added to Reuters)

ThinkProgress: Unsurprisingly, one witness cited the debunked Regnerus study, while an Alliance Defending Freedom attorney claimed that the Ocean Grove pavilion in New Jersey was an example of “religious freedom” being violated, even though it wasn’t. A motion by opponents to table the bill failed 9-12.

On Top Magazine: Jordan Lorence, an attorney with the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), a leading group representing clients who claim equal marriage laws violate their Christian beliefs, argued that allowing same-sex couples to marry would lead to discrimination against Christians. He warned that the bill’s true objective was to foster “a cultural change” and shun opponents as “bigots.”

LifeNews: Cahart’s testimony is shocking and disturbing. He compares the child in the womb to “meat in a Crock-Pot” and then jokes about his abortion toolkit, complete with a “pickaxe” and “drill bit.” “It’s like putting meat in a Crock-Pot, OK?” he tells the woman considering an abortion.

Opposing Views: The Illinois Family Institute protested against State Rep. Ron Sandack over the weekend, while gay marriage activists staged a counter protest, outside the Republican’s Downers Grove office (video below).

Baptist Press on Patheos: “Bible publishers should be free to do business according to the book that they publish,” said ADF senior legal counsel Matt Bowman. “The government dismissed its appeal because it knows how ridiculous it sounds arguing that a Bible publisher isn’t religious enough to qualify as a religious employer. For the government to say that a Bible publisher isn’t religious is outrageous, and now the Obama administration has had to retreat in court.”

Examiner: Yesterday, Navy Commander Nate Christensen attempted to clarify the matter after the Alliance Defending Freedom filed a Freedom of Information Act request. “Service members can share their faith (evangelize),” said Christensen, “but must not force unwanted, intrusive attempts to convert others of any faith or no faith to one’s beliefs (proselytization).”

Huffington Post: The Christian activist group Alliance Defending Freedom on Thursday claimed victory, saying the Pentagon had “backtracked” on its previous position, but said it was still going to pursue legal channels to investigate “this gross error.” | also posted on Sojourners

LifeNews: The defense attorney for abortion practitioner Kermit Gosnell is furious about the Fox News special that aired Friday and Sunday nights exposing the gruesome abortions and infanticides that took place at his abortion clinic.

PolicyMic: Opponents to Delaware’s bill cite concerns over religious liberties — worried that business owners who refuse marriage-related services for gay and lesbian couples could be hit with discrimination charges. “If there’s an exemption for right of conscience,” said Jordan Lorence, attorney of the conservative religious liberties group Alliance Defending Freedom, “I don’t see it.”

UTSanDiego.com: “Her unwavering faith and perseverance was an example to many,” said Alan Sears, CEO of Alliance Defending Freedom, in an article on christianpost.com. “She loved God, was a pillar of strength for her husband and had an immense impact, including upon those of us who have worked closely with the Garlows in support of religious freedom.”

Religion Clause Blog: USCIRF wants the U.S. to question violations of religious freedom and human rights in Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Russia, Azerbaijan, and Bangladesh.

DFWCatholic: Note: A couple of years ago there was the case of Dr. Kenneth Howell who was fired by the University of Illinois for setting forth Catholic doctrine on homosexuality in a class. Although this was a secular school, but he as hired to teach a class on Catholicism. He was later rehired after the Alliance Defense Fund got involved.

Forum 18: Police and secret police officers raided eight meetings for worship of Jehovah’s Witnesses in the first three months of 2013, claiming that they were illegal because the communities had no individual registration.

MBD.Scout.com on MSN: According to the Power Point presentation, obtained and posted online by legal group Alliance Defending Freedom, the Army Reserve in Pennsylvania considers evangelical Christians, Catholics, and Mormons as dangerous as the Muslim Brotherhood, al-Qaeda, and Hamas.

One News Now: With the April 12 deadline approaching, Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) has written a letter to the Virginia Board of Health, urging it to adopt the proposed rules. The letter explains that the standards are designed “to ensure that women who seek abortion at facilities subject to the regulations do so in facilities that are clean, safe, inspected and licensed by the Commonwealth.” Federal court rulings affirm that such safety regulations serve a valid state interest “designed to ensure the health and appropriate care of women seeking abortions.”

Gatestone Institute: City planners in the Irish capital, Dublin, have given the go-ahead for the construction of a sprawling mega-mosque complex that will cater to Ireland’s burgeoning Muslim population.
The massive €40 million ($50 million) “Islamic Cultural Center” will be built on a six-acre site in Clongriffin, a new and as yet unfinished suburb at the northern edge of Dublin.

AZ Republic: Horne’s decision comes hours after the small southeastern Arizona city of Bisbee ignored vociferous opposition and threats of lawsuits and legalized civil unions for same-sex couples Tuesday night. It was an historic council vote that turned into a political circus, as nearly 100 people packed the chambers in both opposition and support.

LifeNews: A Democratic state legislator in Nevada is making waves for comments saying she does not regret killing her baby in an abortion. Assemblywoman Lucy Flores, a Democrat from Las Vegas . . .

Kellie Fiedorek serves as litigation counsel with Alliance Defending Freedom at its Washington, D.C., Regional Service Center, where she is an invaluable member of the Center for Marriage and Family. Fiedorek has appeared in numerous media outlets, including Fox News, …

Caleb Dalton serves as litigation counsel with Alliance Defending Freedom at its headquarters in Scottsdale, Ariz., where he plays a key role with the Center for Marriage and Family. He earned a J.D. at the Regent University School of Law, graduating cum laude in 2012. Before graduating from law school, he completed the Alliance Defending Freedom leadership development program to become a Blackstone Fellow in 2010. He received his B.A. in government and public policy from Patrick Henry College in 2008. He is a member of the Virginia bar.

Ed Whelan at NRO: The fact that DOMA defines marriage and spouse for purposes of provisions of federal law does not mean that it regulates marriage and intrudes on state authority over marriage. For anyone confused on this point, consider this . . .

Claremont Institute Webinar Information here.

Cheryl Wetzstein at the Washington Times: Marriage — i.e., the legal union of one man and one woman — “is the cornerstone of Western civilization,” Austin R. Nimocks, a lawyer with the Alliance Defending Freedom, which is helping defend Proposition 8, said during a Tuesday briefing hosted by the Heritage Foundation.

On March 19, 2013, Christian Legal Fellowship (CLF) appeared before the BC Court of Appeal in the Carter appeal regarding assisted suicide.

Anglican Communion: Five different churches in Egypt including the Coptic Orthodox Church, the Catholic Church, the Evangelical (Presbyterian) Church, the Greek Orthodox Church and the Anglican Church have joined together to form the Egypt Council of Churches after one year of deliberations and meetings between the churches.

The Economist: “The new paradigm of the pro-life movement”, explained Dan Becker, president of Georgia Right-to-Life, “is all about introducing tension into the law…We have different courts ruling in different ways, which is a surefire way to challenge Roe.”

SMH.com.au: Julia Gillard and Tony Abbott are to be placed under renewed pressure to support gay marriage rights with the Greens intent on making the popular reform a key election issue.

The Morning Call: “As the Supreme Court said many years ago, students don’t shed their First Amendment rights at the schoolhouse gate, and that certainly applies to elementary school students as well,” said David Cortman, of Alliance Defending Freedom, a Georgia group that supports religious expression.

LGBTQ Nation: The First Amendment should exempt Elaine Huguenin and her Albuquerque business, Elane Photography, from state laws prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation, Jordan Lorence of the Alliance Defending Freedom told the high court.

Reality Check: It looks like we’ll have to update that list to 19, because Colorado mortgage banking company Cherry Creek Mortgage has just filed suit challenging the mandate as well. Cherry Creek Mortgage is owned by former U.S. Senator Bill Armstrong and does business in 27 states. The company has 730 employees and is represented by Alliance Defending Freedom in its lawsuit.

Joseph La Rue serves as legal counsel with Alliance Defending Freedom at its headquarters in Scottsdale, Ariz., where he plays an integral role on the Alliance Defending Freedom Allied Attorney Support and Coordination Team. He earned his J.D. from the …

Catholic Culture links to several media reports and the Alliance Alert Sioux Manufacturing case name tag.

Duluth News Tribune: Nine of the 17 members of the House Civil Law Committee told the Associated Press that they would be voting for the legislation that repeals the state law defining marriage as between opposite-sex couples only.

Christian Post: Many conservative groups such as Family Research Council and Alliance Defending Freedom, meanwhile, have urged the high court to uphold traditional marriage

Prospectus News: Another individual who spoke against the bill that night was Kellie Fiedorek, a member of Alliance Defending Freedom, who brought up other reasons for opposing the bill. “I analyzed this bill and it contains no language that will provide comprehensive safeguards for the religious freedom of citizens and religious organizations in the state of Illinois,” Fiedorek explained. “No language that purports to address, let alone protect, the right to religious freedom of every citizen.”

LifeSiteNews: Controversy is escalating over the Manitoba NDP government’s proposed anti-bullying law, which would force schools – including independent religious schools – to accommodate homosexual student clubs under the name gay-straight alliance (GSA).

Townhall: Ayanna Byer, 40, filed suit Feb. 6 against Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains, alleging an unnamed doctor at the clinic performed an abortion on her in November even though she told him she had changed her mind, according to the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), which is representing her.

Christian Post: Alliance Defending Freedom, who is a co-counsel in the Supreme Court case in favor of upholding Proposition 8, previously told The Christian Post that it hoped the Supreme Court would uphold the definition of traditional marriage. “The wisest course of action is for the Supreme Court to allow the debate over marriage to continue in this country and not judicially impose same-sex marriage on Americans,” ADF told CP.

Religion Dispatches: Kellie Fiedorek of the Alliance Defending Freedom (formerly the Alliance Defense Fund) reprised arguments she made at a recent Family Research Council event, characterizing the bill as an effort to expand “sexual liberty” at the expense of religious liberty. She said the bill’s lack of provisions to allow social service agencies, judges and clerks, and individual business owners to discriminate against gay couples was evidence of an “intent to legislative prejudice” against people who have religious objections to same-sex marriage.

Turtle Bay and Beyond: The Court establishes that the impossibility of second-parent adoption in a same-sex relationship is discriminatory when such adoption is possible for unmarried heterosexual couples, although the exclusion of the biological parent. The reasoning may be thus summarised: If the woman had been a man, the adoption would have been possible, so it must be possible in the name of non-discrimination according to sexual orientation while the woman is not a man.

Yahoo News: North Carolina high school wrestling official issued a warning to a Wake Forest-Rolesville (Wake Forest, N.C.) High competitor for praying prior to a match, eventually costing him a point and leading to a 3-0 loss, according to the Raleigh News & Observer.

Charlotte Observer: Wake Forest-Rolesville’s coach said he will ask for clarification of a rule that led an official to give one of his wrestlers a warning for taking a kneel to pray on the mat before his match Tuesday. Sam Hershey, though, said he has no plans to report the official’s decision to the N.C. High School Athletic Association for wrongdoing.

Religion Clause Blog: The Forward reported yesterday on the unique problems of religious accommodation in complying with the federal Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 faced by ultra-Orthodox Jewish schools. Under the Act and implementing regulations, federal assistance for a school’s food program is available only if the school’s menus meet specified nutritional guidelines.

Rick Garnett at Mirror of Justice: In my view, the expressed concern about “taxpayers” is something of a red herring. The issue here (as in the Christian Legal Society case) is one of recognition and equal access; any financial “subsidization” is almost certainly de minimis. The bigger problem with the Pilot’s complaint — as I try to explain in this paper — is that there isn’t necessarily anything wrong (there isn’t necessarily any reason for “taxpayers” to worry) with groups “discriminating” or being “exclusive” in their membership.

Charisma News: “A woman’s life is more important than Planned Parenthood’s bottom line,” said Alliance Defending Freedom allied attorney Doug Romero of Denver. “What Planned Parenthood did to Ayanna is beyond the pale. They clearly put her through extraordinary cruelty and jeopardized her life. Their actions were intolerable.” . . . “Is this the type of organization American taxpayers should be funding to the tune of $540 million per year?” said Alliance Defending Freedom Senior Counsel Michael J. Norton, a former U.S. attorney for the district of Colorado who helped author an Alliance Defending Freedom report to the U.S. House of Representatives on the fraudulent use of public funding by Planned Parenthood affiliates. “American tax dollars should be used responsibly and for the common good. Planned Parenthood is irresponsible and only promotes its own self-interest,” Norton added. That was clearly seen most vividly in what they did to Ayanna.”

Pink News: “There’s a critical mass of states that have spoken out and believe states should continue to have the right to define marriage as between one man and one woman,” said Jim Campbell of the anti-equal marriage Alliance Defending Freedom.

Christian Institute: An influential group of NHS experts is urging the Scottish Government to allow the morning-after pill to be handed out in schools.

World Mag: “Pro-life medical personnel shouldn’t be forced to participate in abortions, and the new policies and procedures at Mt. Sinai reflect that,” said ADF senior legal counsel Matt Bowman in a statement. “The hospital seems to have decided to do the right thing and respect the conscience rights of its employees, who are protected by both federal and state law.”

Christian Newswire: Representatives of Priests for Life, Alliance Defending Freedom, 40 Days for Life, the Family Research Council, Students for Life, Operation Rescue, Rock for Life, the Christian Defense Coalition, the National Black Pro-Life Union, the Maryland Family Alliance, the Archdiocese of Washington DC, several local churches and pastors, and many others will join the Maryland Coalition for Life on Monday.

On Top Magazine: Christian conservative groups which oppose the measure, such as the Alliance Defending Freedom and CitizenLink, the political arm of Focus on the Family, have previously said that the measure threatens religious freedom.

Reuters: Pope Benedict said on Monday he will resign on Feb 28 because he no longer has the strength to fulfill the duties of his office, becoming the first pontiff since the Middle Ages to take such a step.

James Taranto at the Wall Street Journal: If you can’t force people to do what you want, force them to buy insurance: That seems to be the strategy of the liberal left in the Obama era. We refer not only to the ObamaCare health-insurance mandate but to the latest bright idea under consideration in mostly Democrat-dominated state capitals.

AP: “The decision from the Boy Scouts today is no doubt a victory. And it’s a result of people standing up and standing for the timeless values and moral principles that the Boy Scouts teach and they stand for themselves.” – Jonathan Saenz, president of Texas Values

Windy City Times: Illinois’ gay marriage bill is headed for a full Senate vote after the measure passed easily out of the Senate Executive Committee Feb. 5. The Committee voted 9-5 to send to the bill for a full vote . . . Joe LaRue of the Alliance Defending Freedom argued that the bill failed to adequately protect churches. “I am extremely concerned that it does not do enough,” LaRue said. LaRue said while the bill purported to protect religious institutions, it threatened to discriminate against them. He said the bill lacked protections for businesses who disagreed with same-sex marriages like cake bakers.

LGBTQ Nation: “The so-called religious protections put forth in the proposed legislation are not only inadequate, but the extreme narrowness of those protections suggests intent to legislate prejudice toward individuals who possess deeply-held religious beliefs about sexual unions or marriage,” said Kellie Fiedorek, a representative for Alliance Defending Freedom at a Jan. 23 Colorado Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on a bill that would establish civil unions in Colorado.

Michael Foust at Baptist Press: Lind is represented by the Alliance Defending Freedom. “Americans have the God-given freedom to live and do business according to their faith,” said Alliance Defending Freedom senior legal counsel Matt Bowman. “Honoring God is not just important within the four walls of a church; it is important every day, in all areas of life, including in our work. Freedom is not the government’s to give and take away when it pleases. The court did the right thing in issuing its order, and we are confident that this unconstitutional mandate’s days are numbered.”

David Bohon at the New American: Matt Bowman of Alliance Defending Freedom, another conservative legal group representing several Christian non-profits and businesses in suits against the mandate, said the federal government “has no business putting religious freedom on the negotiating table, or picking and choosing who is allowed to exercise faith. The administration must immediately abandon the idea that it has the power to withhold or dispense our fundamental freedoms to whomever it chooses. The mandate is losing in court. The only acceptable solution is for the administration to obey the Constitution and its legal duty to protect religious freedom.”

AFP: Deputies voted 249-97 in favour of Article One of the draft law, which redefines marriage as being a contract between two people rather than necessarily between a man and a woman.

KOSU: “The administration’s narrow gesture does nothing to protect many faith-based employers or religious families from the unconstitutional abortion pill mandate,” says Matt Bowman of the Alliance Defending Freedom, a legal group backing some of the suits. “The government has no business putting religious freedom on the negotiating table, or picking and choosing who is allowed to exercise faith.”

On Top Magazine: Christian conservative groups which oppose the measure, such as the Alliance Defending Freedom and CitizenLink, the political arm of Focus on the Family, have previously said that the measure threatens religious freedom.

Blog of the Legal Times: Those nominees – Richard Taranto for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, Robert Bacharach for the Tenth Circuit and William Kayatta Jr. for the First Circuit – all had their nominations languish in the full Senate, never getting a confirmation vote for months. To continue to be considered, the White House had to renominate them this session.

ZimDiaSpora: THE draft constitution approved by Global Political Agreement (GPA) leaders and set to be tabled before Parliament on February 8 makes same-sex marriage a criminal offence.

Deacon John’s Space: The following comes from a January 22 press release from Alliance Defending Freedom. Defenders of California’s marriage amendment filed their opening briefwith the U.S. Supreme Court Tuesday. The brief argues that the high court should affirm the validity and rational basis of the amendment and refuse demands for a judicially-imposed end to the robust, ongoing public debate about marriage.