Category Archives: Uncategorized

James Castle at Kansan.com: In response, Schowengerdt argued that “such a radical definition” of marriage should not be implemented just because new relationship and family types exist. Comparing same-sex marriage to polygamy, Schowengerdt sought to redirect the audience’s focus to the purpose of marriage — to act as a stabilizer for heterosexual parents and their biological children — and he asks listeners to question whether recognition of same-sex marriage would promote an “ideal” parenting structure.

Ypsilanti Courier – Heritage Newspapers: Jeremy Tedesco represents Ward on behalf of the Alliance Defense Fund, a national legal organization founded to “defend our First Liberty — religious freedom.” . . . “(Ward) didn’t ask for anything that anyone else hadn’t asked for,” Tedesco said . . .

Snoqualmie, WA – SnoValley Star: “Christians shouldn’t be threatened with arrest and quarantined in isolated ‘expression areas’ when they want to share their beliefs,” Alliance Defense Fund Senior Counsel Nate Kellum said in a statement. “The federal judge did the right thing by halting the enforcement of a city ordinance that effectively censors anyone who wishes to express his or her beliefs through the distribution of literature. That violates the constitutionally protected right to free speech in public areas at a free event that’s open to everyone.”

CBN News: The IRS cannot be a content manager or regulator,” Rev. Kevin Baird, Legacy Church in West Ashley, S.C., told The Post and Courier. “There is a legitimate intimidation factor that comes from the IRS and the Left to squelch conservative pastors,” he said.

OneNewsNow.com: “The federal judge did the right thing here by halting the enforcement of a city ordinance that effectively censors anyone who wishes to express his or her beliefs through the distribution of literature,” Kellum says. “That violates the constitutionally protected right to free speech in public areas at a free event that’s open to everyone.”

KansasCity.com: Erik Stanley, the lawyer for the defense fund, said churches have received property tax exemptions “from the beginning” because of the social services and other intangible benefits they provide.

God Discussion: On October 2, 2011, pastors across the country are going to participate in a yearly act of civil disobedience: they’re going to risk their 501(c) 3 tax exempt status by openly endorsing or supporting political candidates from the pulpit on Sunday. [embeds ADF video]

The Pitch News: The Alliance Defense Fund, a group that litigates on behalf of religious organizations, sued for two churches which argued that the fee is nothing more than a tax with a contrived name

KansasCity.com: City Administrator Mike Scanlon said today that the council agreed to exempt the churches if the Alliance Defense Fund dropped the lawsuit. The ordinance approved by the City Council takes effect Oct. 11. Scanlon declined to comment on the lawsuit.

PinkNews.co.uk: Ms Belforti is being represented by the Alliance Defense Fund, an Arizona-based Christian group which will argue that her beliefs must be protected by the law. The case is being seen as a test for Christian rights in the US.

Dakota Voice: As part of a settlement of an Alliance Defense Fund lawsuit, the city of Mission voted Wednesday to exempt from its “driveway tax” churches and other entities who are exempt from property taxes under state law.

AP Top Kansas News at 5:45 a.m. CDT | www.newstalkradiowhio.com: The Alliance Defense Fund said Thursday the Mission City Council agreed to the exemption Wednesday to settle the lawsuit. The council decided last fall to add the charges as a way to raise revenue for road repairs in the Kansas City suburb. The Alliance Defense Fund says because the city labeled the charges a “fee,” tax-exempt entities paid, too.

Longview News: The commissioners also approved the inter-local agreement with the Tex-Americas Center as well as agreeing to consult with the Alliance Defense Fund to assist in a court response to the letter the county received from the Freedom From Religion Foundation requesting the court discontinue from saying a prayer before the start of each commissioners court meeting . . . The county’s response to the request has been to continue to say a prayer, therefore the consultations with the Alliance Defense Fund was passed unanimously by the court.

Catholic News Agency (CNA): The Notice of Appeal was filed on September 19 by Jubilee Campaign’s Law of Life Project and their co-counsel at the Alliance Defense Fund and Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher.

Rob Boston of Americans United for Separation of Church and State at OpposingViews.com: It’s going to be a long election season, and we’re bound to see a lot more of this. The Alliance Defense Fund and other Religious Right organizations are already prodding churches to flagrantly violate the law by endorsing and/or opposing candidates from the pulpit. These groups hope to build a church-based political machine to elect their favored candidates to office. Once in power, these people will pursue a fundamentalist political agenda, work to enact laws that impose their narrow version of faith on all of us and assail the church-state wall.

Love Your Neighbor ministry seeks used cookbook donations – St. Petersburg Times: Brooksville Wesleyan Church, 8168 Jasmine Drive, will recognize Pulpit Freedom Sunday at 10:30 a.m. Oct. 2. The Alliance Defense Fund created the day in 2008 to encourage pastors to preach boldly and biblically about current events. Visit pulpitfreedom.com

The Arab Tribune: Superintendent John Mullins has received a letter from the Freedom from Religion Foundation in Madison, Wis., calling prayer before the games a “serious and flagrant violation” of the First Amendment and asking that the school district take immediate action to stop any and all prayers occurring before any school-sponsored event.

ProLife Blogs: Today, on behalf of the adult stem researchers it represents, the Jubilee Campaign’s Law of Life Project and their co-counsel at the Alliance Defense Fund and Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, filed their Notice of Appeal asking the United States Court of Appeals to reinstate their case dismissed by United States District Court for the District of Columbia in its July 27 decision . . .

Thomson Reuters: For the gay marriage opponents: Charles Cooper, David Thompson, Howard Nielson, Nicole Moss and Peter Patterson of Cooper and Kirk; Andrew Pugno of the Law Offices of Andrew Pugno; Brian Raum and James Campbell of the Alliance Defense Fund.

The New Civil Rights Movement: Which means, Maggie Gallagher of the National Organization For Marriage (NOM), Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council (FRC), the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF), ProtectMarriage​.com, and all the other “family” anti-​gay groups can band together and file a motion to appeal this appealed ruling, all the way to the Supreme Court if they like.

LaTimes.com: Two liberal groups have asked the Judicial Conference of the United States to investigate whether Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has violated the federal Ethics in Government Act. The prospect of such an investigation is remote, but the conduct cited by Common Cause and the Alliance for Justice is troubling.

The Monitor – Kansas City Metro Edition: “The ACLU’s ‘Don’t Filter Me Initiative’ would be better named the ‘Public School Porn Initiative,’ says David Cortman, Senior Counsel for ADF. “The ACLU is pushing its radical sexual agenda for children by intimidating school districts with a long string of scare tactics disguised as a concern over censorship. School districts shouldn’t be bullied into exposing students to sexually explicit materials. Our children come first.”

Attorneys with the Alliance Defense Fund sent letters to every public school superintendent in Tennessee Tuesday, urging them to ignore assertions by the American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee that religious expression is essentially prohibited in public schools.

KTLA.com: Los Angeles Unified School District officials are considering implementing special gay and lesbian inclusive curriculum in its schools in an effort to decrease bullying based on sexual orientation.

Springfield News-Leader (AP): The Alliance Defense Fund announced Monday that it and the Missouri Family Policy Council filed a brief Friday in defense of the Camdenton R-III School District.

LifeNews.com: The Obama administration recently posted a new document to the White House web site touting its efforts to combat sex trafficking in the United States. But the document ignores Planned Parenthood — the abortion business where undercover investigations earlier this year revealed staff willing to arrange for abortions for sex traffickers.

LifeSiteNews.com: Harold Cassidy, an attorney affiliated with the Alliance Defense Fund, filed the appeal to the 8th Circuit on behalf of a group of pregnancy centers that successfully intervened in the suit to protect the interest of women . . . ADF Senior Counsel Steven H. Aden said the court was right to uphold informing women of “an undisputed biological fact.” “A child’s life is worth more than Planned Parenthood’s bottom line,” said Aden. “Planned Parenthood and other proponents of death work diligently to restrict the information mothers have about abortion and the life within them.”

News from Missouri Family Policy Council: “The ACLU cannot mask its attempts to turn school computers into porn portals for children by expressing a supposed concern for censorship,” says Jeremy Tedesco, legal counsel for the Alliance Defense Fund. “Parents expect schools to be places where their children learn–not places where they access pornography.”

The New American: Steven H. Aden of the Alliance Defense Fund, which had filed a brief in the case on behalf of a number of pro-life groups, noted that a “child’s life is worth more than Planned Parenthood’s bottom line. Planned Parenthood and other proponents of death work diligently to restrict the information mothers have about abortion and the life within them.” He added that it was “incredible for the lower court to have determined that the law cannot acknowledge that a ‘pregnant woman has an existing relationship with that unborn human being’ because some human beings are somehow not ‘persons.’ The 8th Circuit rightly determined that it’s perfectly constitutional to inform women of an undisputed biological fact.”

Washington Times: Alabama on Thursday officially became the fifth state in the nation to restrict abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy, the latest in a wave of new state efforts to curb the practice this year.

CBN.com: David Cortman, a lawyer with the Alliance Defense Fund, told The Christian Post, “School districts shouldn’t be bullied into exposing students to sexually explicit materials.” The ADF has mailed letters to at least eight school districts, urging the schools to reject ACLU’s demands. “We want to make sure that schools don’t unnecessarily cave to the ACLU’s demands,” Mr. Cortman said.

Langvardt, Kyle, Electoral Reform in Clarence Thomas’s America (February 1, 2011). Alabama Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Law Review, December 2011. Available at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=1827022 The Supreme Court held in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission that nearly all impediments …

Instinct Magazine: Camdenton blocks LGBT-affirming websites such as the aforementioned by labeling them as “porn.” With the help of notoriously anti-gay “Christian” legal group the Alliance Defense Fund, it has beguiled local parents into agreeing with the faulty connection.

Christian Post: The Alliance Defense Fund is currently working with Mauck’s firm on behalf of his clients in order to protect the brothers’ religious freedoms guaranteed by the First Amendment and allow them to continue to witness to their peers. “By suing Elias, Saul, Oscar, and Ruben, Plantiffs have substantially burdened their religious exercise of sharing the gospel of Jesus with others,” the motion stated.

UPI.com: ay rights groups are concerned school administrators are blocking gay educational and advocacy Web sites, while conservative groups such as the Alliance Defense Fund say the ACLU’s “Don’t Filter Me” campaign could expose children to sexually explicit materials, The Washington Times reported Tuesday.

Baptists Today, The Source for Daily Baptist News for You and Your Church: The Alliance Defense Fund has sent a letter signed by chaplains to Congressional leaders urging the protection of religious liberty in light of the implementation of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” repeal.

VirtueOnline: The Alliance Defense Fund has issued a press release urging a group of veteran service members–primarily chaplains–who, on behalf of their faith groups, represent thousands of currently-serving military chaplains and several million Americans asking key officials to protect military religious liberty from the dangers created by the government’s decision to force open homosexual behavior on the U.S. armed forces through the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” next month.

The Christian Institute: ADF lawyer David Cortman said that the “ACLU is pushing its radical sexual agenda for children by intimidating school districts with a long string of scare tactics disguised as a concern over censorship”. And he added: “In truth, these school districts have no obligation to cave to the ACLU’s unwarranted demands. Our children come first.” Another ADF lawyer cautioned: “Parents expect schools to be places where their children learn – not places where they access pornography.

Christian Post:
David Cortman, the defense fund’s senior legal counsel told the Idaho Press-Tribune, “In our opinion, the court failed to perform any meaningful analysis of any issue in the case including the seminal one: whether there is any educational purpose to ban all religious documents from objective teaching.” Cortman also accused the circuit judges of ignoring the right of local school districts to choose their own curriculum and texts. “Censoring classical books, including religious books, does not improve a student’s education,” he said in a statement. “It harms it.” [more]

The New American: David Cortman, senior legal counsel with the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF), the legal advocacy group representing Moffett and the charter school, told the Idaho Press-Tribune in an e-mail that he is prepared to appeal the case to the Supreme Court. “In our opinion, the court failed to perform any meaningful analysis of any issue in the case,” Cortman wrote, “including the seminal one: whether there is any educational purpose to ban all religious documents from objective teaching….” In addition, he charged, the 9th Circuit panel ignored the right of local school districts to choose their own texts and curricula. “Censoring books, including religious books, is not the proper way to educate children,” Cortman said in an ADF statement, adding: The court’s opinion requiring the removal of religious books to comply with the so-called “separation of church and state” conflicts with established U.S. Supreme Court precedent stating that “the Bible may constitutionally be used in an appropriate study of history, civilization, ethics, comparative religion, or the like.”

Christian Post: More than 540,000 people have committed to a boycott of Home Depot over its support of homosexual activism, according to a spokesperson of the group organizing the boycott.

Citydesk: But a senior legal counsel with the Alliance Defense Fund told the Idaho Press Tribune that his group is prepared to take their case to the Supreme Court. David Cortman said the Ninth Circuit “ignored the right of local school districts to choose their own texts and curriculum.” Ultimately Cortman said he’s prepared to file a petition to submit the case for review by the high court.

Amy Alkon on MND: He also contacted the Arizona-based Alliance Defense Fund, a coalition of conservative Christian lawyers. The alliance told the township it may take the matter to court if officials don’t allow Racaniello to put the cross wherever he wants on his property. “We believe this is private property, and therefore he has a right to engage in this expression,” Jonathan Scruggs, a lawyer for the alliance, said in an interview. “We believe that either cross is protected by the First Amendment.”

GPhilly: This likely does not give much consolation to same-sex couples who have won the right to marry only to face opponents in their own backyards. Apparently there could be an exception that allows clerks to pass off the responsibility based on religious freedom – something the Alliance Defense Fund in New York touts on its website.

The Advocate: New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms, a group of evangelical Protestants that lobbied against marriage equality, launched the Courage Fund to assist clerks who do not want to comply with the new law. The group, which contends that the new law does not offer adequate religious protections for clerks, posted a memo containing legal advice from the Alliance Defense Fund, a conservative Christian group, on its website

OneNewsNow.com: Christians shouldn’t be threatened with arrest and censored by being quarantined to isolated expression areas when they want to share their beliefs,” contends ADF attorney Nate Kellum.
“The city ordinance mandating these zones effectively censors anyone wishing to express his or her beliefs through the distribution of literature. That violates the constitutionally protected right to free speech in public areas at a free event that’s open to everyone.”

OneNewsNow.com: Commissioners voted this week to permit the Alliance Defense Fund to pursue an appeal on their behalf.

CBN News: The ADF argued that the decision is in “conflict with other federal court decisions and out of step with the history of invocations in America.”

The Daily Record: The commissioners approved a resolution to continue the case if the Alliance Defense Fund Inc. would continue to pay the county’s legal costs. The conservative Christian organization has said it will not pay the attorney fees, costs and damages of the plaintiffs if the county ultimately loses the lawsuit, so the county’s appeal also depends on the backing of a local group, the North Carolina Partnership for Religious Liberty.

TheSunNews.com (AP): The commissioners approved a resolution to continue the case if the Alliance Defense Fund Inc. would continue to pay the county’s legal costs. The conservative Christian organization has said it will not pay the attorney fees, costs and damages of the plaintiffs if the county ultimately loses the lawsuit, so the county’s appeal also depends on the backing of a local group, the North Carolina Partnership for Religious Liberty.

American Medical News: he plaintiffs have not decided whether to appeal Lamberth’s dismissal but are considering all options, said Steve Aden, senior counsel for the Alliance Defense Fund in Washington, part of the plaintiffs’ legal team. “In these tough economic times, it makes no sense for the federal government to use taxpayer money for this illegal and unethical purpose.”

WXII12.com The Triad: The Alliance Defense Fund represented Forsyth County in the case and disagreed with the 2-1 ruling, arguing that the decision is in “conflict with other federal court decisions and out of step with the history of invocations in America.”

The Blog of Legal Times: A three-judge panel this afternoon in Washington upheld the constitutionality of the ban against foreign citizens donating money to candidates in state and federal elections.

American Medical News: The plaintiffs have not decided whether to appeal Lamberth’s dismissal but are considering all options, said Steve Aden, senior counsel for the Alliance Defense Fund in Washington, part of the plaintiffs’ legal team. “In these tough economic times, it makes no sense for the federal government to use taxpayer money for this illegal and unethical purpose.”

Case challenging California anti-same-sex measure continues next month in state Supreme Court | The American Independent:

TheGAVoice: “The idea that Internet filters somehow result in student suicides is preposterous, and the ACLU should be ashamed for making such a connection,” said ADF Legal Counsel Jeremy Tedesco in a statement. “The ACLU cannot mask its attempts to turn school computers into porn portals for children with a supposed concern for bullying and suicides.”

Catholic Culture: The township’s attorney has told the Alliance Defense Fund, which defends religious liberty, that “he is recommending changes to Livingston’s ordinance so no one can use it to apply to crosses.”

Michael J. Norton serves as senior counsel with Alliance Defending Freedom and is based in Denver, Colorado. He plays an integral role in helping to defend the sanctity of human life in the courts. Norton has been practicing law since 1976 and is admitted to the bars of the states of Colorado and Virginia, as well as Washington, D.C. He is also admitted to federal courts in Colorado and pro hoc vice to federal courts in, among other jurisdictions, Nebraska, the Southern District of Texas, the Eastern District of Texas, and the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Before joining Alliance Defending Freedom in 2011, Norton was a top litigator with the Denver law firm Burns, Figa & Will, P.C. and built a reputation as a bar leader. He served as U.S. Attorney for Colorado from 1988 to 1993, appointed by President Ronald Reagan and reappointed by President George H.W. Bush. Norton joined Alliance Defending Freedom in 2011 and earned his J.D. from American University’s Washington College of Law in 1968.

JournalNow.com: A: The ACLU estimates its current legal expenses at $200,000, which is what the county would have to pay if it does not appeal the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling against the county, according to Wesley Young, the Journal reporter who has been covering the case. The Alliance Defense Fund is paying for the county’s legal work, although it would not pay the ACLU’s legal fees if the county ultimately loses. A local group, N.C. Partnership for Religious Liberty, has pledged $300,000 for the county’s defense, so at this point no county money would be needed. Of course, a U.S. Supreme Court appeal, if granted, would cost an unknown additional amount.

Passport Magazine: This is part of the ACLU’s nation-wide “Don’t Filter Me” campaign. The ADF stood with the Gwinnett Schools, saying they “should not bow to the ACLU’s demand” to remove the filters. The ACLU said they would take legal action if nothing was done.

The New American: But attorney Mike Johnson of the Alliance Defense Fund, which represented the county in the case, noted that the ruling conflicts with similar federal cases, in which courts have decided that no conflict exists when Christian prayers are offered at government sponsored functions, as long as representatives of non-Christian faiths are offered equal opportunity to pray as well. “The idea that a legislative body would have to censor the speakers who come in on a rotational basis to offer an invocation is unprecedented,” said Johnson.

Norcross, GA Patch: “School districts shouldn’t be bullied into exposing students to sexually explicit materials,” said ADF Senior Counsel David Cortman in an audio statement posted to its website. “This latest scare tactic — under the façade of illegal censorship — is just another act of intimidation designed to forward the ACLU’s radical sexual agenda for children.”

JournalNow.com: Commissioner Gloria Whisenhunt said she would like to see the county appeal the latest decision to the Supreme Court. The Alliance Defense Fund, a conservative Christian organization, is representing the county for free. That does not include costs to pay the plaintiff’s legal fees if the county loses. A citizens’ group has said it will pay those costs. But if they fail to raise all the money needed, taxpayers — many of whom are against this fight — could ultimately be hit with a share of the bill. Game over, commissioners.

GAVoice.com: School districts shouldn’t be bullied into exposing students to sexually explicit materials,” said ADF Senior Counsel David Cortman in a statement. “This latest scare tactic — under the façade of illegal censorship — is just another act of intimidation designed to forward the ACLU’s radical sexual agenda for children.” . . . “The idea that Internet filters somehow result in student suicides is preposterous, and the ACLU should be ashamed for making such a connection,” said ADF Legal Counsel Jeremy Tedesco in the statement.
“The ACLU cannot mask its attempts to turn school computers into porn portals for children with a supposed concern for bullying and suicides. Parents expect schools to be places where their children will learn knowledge, information, and skills that will make them productive members of society, not places where they can access pornography.” (includes full ADF letter)

CNS: “Americans should not be forced to pay for experiments that destroy human life, have produced no real-world treatments and violate federal law,” Aden said in a July 27 statement. “The law is clear, and we intend to review all of our options for appeal of this decision. “In these tough economic times, it makes no sense for the federal government to use taxpayer money for this illegal and unethical purpose,” he added.

OneNewsNow.com: “Americans should not be forced to pay for experiments that destroy human life, have produced no real-world treatments, and violate federal law,” he contends. “The district court’s injunction simply enforced that law, which makes sure Americans don’t pay any more precious taxpayer dollars for needless research made irrelevant by adult stem-cell and other research.”

NJ.com: “There’s no question that this was provoked by a complaint by an irate neighbor,” said Joseph Infranco, one of a coalition of Christian lawyers with the Alliance Defense Fund, which is representing Racaniello. “I’m fairly certain that if he had posted a lost dog sign, that the neighbor would have done nothing. There’s evidence indicating that it may well have been about the content,” Infranco said.

Mercatornet: Seriously. This is their legal complaint. Just like the American Center for Law and Justice, the Alliance Defense Fund is getting used to this.

Chemical & Engineering News: The litigation, however, is likely to continue. The plaintiffs plan to review all options for an appeal, according to their attorney, Steven H. Aden of the Alliance Defense Fund. “In these tough economic times, it makes no sense for the federal government to use taxpayer money for this illegal and unethical purpose,” Aden says.

The New American: James Sherley, one of the plaintiffs in the suit, who uses adult stem cells in his research, was set to file an appeal of the verdict, with the aid of the Alliance Defense Fund, which represented him and Theresa Deisher in the lawsuit. “Americans should not be forced to pay for experiments that destroy human life, have produced no real-world treatments, and violate federal law,” ADF senior counsel Steven Aden said after the verdict. “The law is clear, and we intend to review all of our options for appeal of this decision.”

Daily Kos: Sherley and Deisher can appeal the ruling. The Alliance Defense Fund, a conservative organization that assisted with the lawsuit, said in a statement that its attorneys and other lawyers involved in the case were “weighing all of their options for appeal.”

Religion Clause Blog: All Africa.com reported yesterday that the two houses of Rwanda’s Parliament are split over the definition of “religion” in a proposed “Bill Governing Religious Communities in Rwanda.”

Post Chronicle: Lawyers with the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) claim the group’s desire to have the cross removed from the 9/11 memorial museum is “completely out of step with the Constitution.”

NCRegister.com subcaption: Americans should not be forced to pay for experiments that destroy human life, have produced no real-world treatments, and violate federal law,’ said Steven Aden, senior council at the Alliance Defense Fund, which supported the lawsuit. The group is reviewing its options for appeal.

Missouri Lawyers Media (subscription) (blog) – Tom Schoenberg, Scott Lauck – ‎16 hours ago‎ Their lawyer, Steven Aden of the Alliance Defense Fund, said his clients are weighing all of their options for an appeal. Missouri Cures, a nonprofit organization that helped pass a 2006 state constitutional amendment passage that protects the ability …