Tag Archives: ADF: Media Clips

Steven Aden at the Daily Caller: Birds of a feather flock together, especially when one bird is funneling hundreds of millions of dollars a year to the other. Case in point: Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards and the Obama administration. The administration oversaw the transfer of nearly half a billion dollars to the abortion giant last year, and now Richards has announced a Planned Parenthood bus tour in support of Obama’s re-election campaign.

CBN: “Christian colleges should remain free to operate according to their deeply-held beliefs. Punishing religious people and organizations for freely exercising their faith is an assault on our most fundamental American freedoms,” ADF Senior Counsel Gregory S. Baylor said. “This mandate leaves religious employers with no real choice: you must either comply and abandon your religious freedom and conscience, or resist and be taxed for your faith,” he continued. “Every American should know that a government with the power to do this to anyone can do this-and worse-to everyone,” he said.

AP: Jim Campbell of the Alliance Defending Freedom says an employee acting without the owners’ OK said Katherine Baker and Ming Linsley couldn’t hold their event at the Lyndonville facility.

Wesley J. Smith at LifeNews: Texas has an awful futile care law. It permits hospital bioethics committees to impose members/doctors’ values that a patient’s life is not worth living based on quality of life. A story just out shows the injustice of the process–a terrible law about which I write here in more detail . . . There are so many things wrong here that cry out for a lawsuit. Calling Alliance Defending Freedom! Calling Alliance Defending Freedom. There is a life to save. Again. Calling Alliance Defending Freedom!

Nathan Cherry at the Engage Family Minute Blog: Matt Sharp with the Alliance Defending Freedom commented on the case: “We … unfortunately see this pop up all too often where students can’t express their faith in school. This is a common thing, but fortunately the courts have commonly held that schools can’t restrict this.”

Thomas Messner at the Heritage Foundation: The New Mexico Supreme Court recently announced that it will consider the case of a Christian photographer who objected for religious reasons to photographing a same-sex commitment ceremony . . . This is not “live and let live.” This is the state—and sometimes private citizens and the culture at large—punishing people who refuse to recant their beliefs regarding marriage, family, and sexuality.

The Alliance Defending Freedom has posted a short and powerful video titled: Why Marriage Matters (3:25 mins).
It has prompted several attacks some of which are identified below . . . Alliance Alert Editor’s Note: Alliance Defending Freedom attorneys have repeatedly rebutted the Loving argument raised in the “Lez Get Real” article quoted above.  Here is a recent rebuttal by Alliance Defending Freedom Attorney Jordan Lorence at the Speak Up Movement University Blog titled Interracial Marriage and Mormon Polygamy: ADF Debates the Definition of Marriage at the University of Virginia Law School . . .

Lyle Denniston discusses the petitions at the SCOTUS Blog:  So far, only one federal appeals court has ruled on the constitutionality of DOMA’s benefits ban, striking it down in May.   Three of the new petitions are asking the Court to review that decision by the First Circuit Court (dockets 12-13, 12-15, and 12-97).  The other three DOMA petitions are attempts to persuade the Court to rule now on District Court decisions that have also struck down that provision (dockets 12-16, 12-63, and 12-231).   In the “Proposition 8″ case, the Ninth Circuit Court nullified that voter-approved ballot measure last February (docket 12-144).

Fox News Insider (includes video): Greg Baylor, an attorney for Alliance Defending Freedom, said, “We can all agree that politicians shouldn’t use someone’s faith or their stand for freedom to deny them recognition for the good service that they’ve provided to their community.

Denver Post Editorial: A proclamation honoring a 50-year-old Denver business was pulled by its sponsor last week after she learned that the company opposed a provision of federal health reform requiring insurance coverage to include no-cost access to contraception and other preventive care.
In scuttling the proclamation, Denver city councilwoman Robin Kniech noted that it’s “silly season,” meaning that political disagreements are amplified in anticipation of the November election. In our view, her decision only makes things sillier.

Michael Norton at the Denver Post: Re: “Finding middle ground on contraception coverage,” Aug. 5 editorial. The Post’s editorial incorrectly concluded that “a suitable compromise” to a court order prohibiting enforcement of Obamacare and its abortion pill mandate against Hercules Industries would be to require Hercules’ insurance company to provide such abortion pill coverage.

Upper Arlington News: A federal judge sided with the city last week in a discrimination lawsuit filed by the Alliance Defense Fund — now called Alliance Defending Freedom — on behalf of Tree of Life Christian School . . . Erik Stanley, an attorney with the Alliance Defending Freedom, said the group is considering its options.”We’re still studying the ruling,” Stanley said. “No decisions have been at this point about what our next step will be.” [more]

AP on Tampa Bay Online: Gilio sued, employing the services of Christian legal organizations: David Gibbs of the Christian Law Association and lawyers from the Alliance Defending Freedom . . . Matt Sharp, a lawyer from Alliance Defending Freedom, said this type of case is not unusual. “We … unfortunately see this pop up all too often where students can’t express their faith in school,” Sharp said. “This is a common thing, but fortunately the courts have commonly held that schools can’t restrict this.”

National Review: “Every time the administration opens its mouth it changes its rules to attack religious freedom in a different way,” Matt Bowman, a lawyer with Alliance Defending Freedom says of the bulletin. “Washington bureaucrats have no business continually picking and choosing what faith is and who is allowed to practice faith,” he continues.

Alliance Defending Freedom Blog: His explanation to his puzzled friend is that Liddell’s commitment as a runner is an extension of who he is and what he believes; the attempt to sever him from the source of his greatness was both foolish and morally wrong. That’s an important lesson many on the left fail to learn as they blithely cast aside religious liberty and rights of conscience for others

Congratulations to the winners of the 2011-2012 William Pew Religious Freedom Scholarship! The winners announcement has been posted here in pdf format. More Information about the competition is available in pdf format here. The winning paper by Andrew D. Brown has been published and can be viewed online: Parenthood by Estoppel? Assessing Boseman v. Jarrell and North Carolina’s Child Custody Standard, 90 N.C. L. Rev. Addendum 180 (2012)

Learn about the Blackstone Legal Fellowship.

Greg Baylor appeared on the Drew Mariana Show to discuss the Newland litigation. | MP3 audio 11:23 mins

Steve Aden at Townhall: In Britain these days, parents of desperately ill children are literally ridiculed for trusting in God’s providence over and above the prognosis of doctors. In fact, an article recently published in the Journal of Medical Ethics contends that parents “torture” their children by keeping them alive once doctors have pronounced they have no chance of recovery.

ABQ Journal: Attorneys for the company, Alliance Defending Freedom, appealed that ruling, and senior counsel Jordan Lorence told CBN: “We trust the New Mexico Supreme Court will agree because the government should not be allowed to force the photographer to promote a message that violates her conscience.”

Austin R. Nimocks on the Zeb Bell Show to discuss the recent Hawaii marriage ruling. | MP3 audio 10:56 mins

David Cortman appeared on the Zeb Bell Show to discuss the litigation. | MP3 audio 13:35 mins

Citizen Link: “It’s sad when the very values that drive a family to serve others are used to try to disgrace them,” said Matt Bowman, legal counsel for the Alliance Defending Freedom, which is representing the family in its lawsuit. “The city council saw this family’s contributions, but then said ‘no honors for you’ because Hercules’ leaders took a principled stand for freedom of religion and conscience. That makes the Newlands more worthy of respect, not less so.”

GodDiscussion.com (includes video): Preaching politics from the pulpit is becoming an important focus of religious right groups lately. Last month, Alliance Defending Freedom (formerly the Alliance Defense Fund) complained that pastors were forced to live in a climate of “fear and intimidation” because of complaints of IRS tax code violations by Americans United for Separation of Church and State and other organizations. Alliance Defending Freedom encourages pastors to preach politics on “Pulpit Freedom Sunday” each October.

Jeffery J. Ventrella at American Thinker: In a quest to redefine normal, The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights has submitted a letter to the Institute for Minority Health and Health Disparities seeking recognition of certain classes of people who engage in homosexual behavior as “a health disparity population.”

Alan Sears at the Daily Caller: Not long ago, Denver officials announced their intention to honor 50 years of distinguished service to their community by Hercules Industries, a national HVAC manufacturing company based in the city, with a proclamation citing, among other things:

One News Now: Kevin Theriot of Alliance Defending Freedom says the government is attempting to avoid Louisiana College’s contention that Christian employers should not be forced to abandon their beliefs. “People of faith shouldn’t be discriminated against when they go into the business world,” he protests. “They certainly shouldn’t be punished for incorporating their religious convictions into their business, and that’s certainly true of a Christian college like Louisiana College.”

Jim Hochberg at the Honolulu Star Advertiser (subscription only): Why is government in the marriage business? A federal judge answered that question Aug. 8 consistently with how it’s long been answered: Government can “rationally conclude that, other things being equal, it is best for children to be raised by a parent of each sex.” . . .

Thomas Messner at Heritage Foundation: Hawaii’s definition of marriage as one man and one woman was also defended by the Hawaii Family Forum, an intervening defendant represented by the national public interest law firm Alliance Defending Freedom (formerly the Alliance Defense Fund).

LifeNews: “Every American should be free to live and do business according to their faith,” said Senior Counsel Kevin Theriot. “The government shouldn’t punish people of faith for following their beliefs when making decisions for themselves or their organizations. That’s why this lawsuit should not be casually dismissed as the Obama administration would like to see happen.” . . . “Every American, including family business owners, should be free to live and do business according to their faith. For the time being, Hercules Industries will be able to do just that,” said ADF Legal Counsel Matt Bowman after the decision. Bowman added, “The cost of freedom for this family could be millions of dollars per year in fines that will cripple their business if the Obama administration ultimately has its way. This lawsuit seeks to ensure that Washington bureaucrats cannot force families to abandon their faith just to earn a living. Americans don’t want politicians and bureaucrats deciding what faith is, who the faithful are, and where and how that faith may be lived out.”

Townhall: Nellie Gray left the life arena this week. We mourn her death. Already, we miss her voice and her fight for all life, born and preborn. She was a woman whose personal vision and relentless drive brought together hundreds of thousands of people from all racial, ethnic, economic, and creedal backgrounds to cry out for America to stop killing children in the womb. And she did this every year, for almost 40 years.

Guillermo Barrera Fernandez at A7.com.mx (Google Translation): Charnowski Elizabeth, who came to us this summer as a resident Blackstone (great program Defending Freedom Alliance) reports on a new initiative by Amnesty International for countries to legalize abortion. Unfortunately, AI has become a violator of human rights.

DFWCatholic: “Every American should be free to live and do business according to their faith,” said Senior Counsel Kevin Theriot. “The government shouldn’t punish people of faith for following their beliefs when making decisions for themselves or their organizations. That’s why this lawsuit should not be casually dismissed as the Obama administration would like to see happen.” “This mandate leaves religious employers with no true choice: either comply and abandon your religious freedom and conscience, or resist and be punished,” said allied attorney and co-counsel Mike Johnson, dean of Louisiana College’s Pressler School of Law. “It is a shame that the Obama administration is opposing religious freedom rather than supporting it.”

Jordan Lorence at the Speak Up Movement University Blog: Universities cannot justify unconstitutional “speech codes” by pointing to crimes like the recent murder of six Sikhs in Wisconsin by a white supremacist who entered their temple during a worship service and opened fire. University policies that ban “offensive” speech target expression protected by the First Amendment, which is far different than laws punishing criminals who harm others because of their race, religion, etc.

Alan Sears at The Alliance Defending Freedom Blog: In a day when elected officials and activist judges in many states across America are maneuvering to undermine the traditional and legal meaning of marriage, the clear thinking of a federal court in Hawaii is as refreshing as an island breeze.

Baptist Press: The Hawaii Family Forum, a Christian educational organization, had intervened in the case to defend Hawaii’s marriage statutes, and its attorney, Jim Hochberg, said he was pleased Kay “agreed with every argument,” except one, “made on behalf of” the forum . . . Because of Hawaii Family Forum’s history in publically defending traditional marriage, Kay “allowed HFF to intervene and defend the marriage statute,” Hochberg said. To get the forum intervenor status, Hochberg sought help from the Alliance Defending Freedom, formerly the Alliance Defense Fund, a Christian-based organization that provides legal defense against attacks on religious freedom, to get the forum.

Jordan Lorence at the NY Post: The New York City ban is emblematic of the much-too-widespread habit of public officials considering private religious expression to be dangerous and threatening, like asbestos that must be expunged from the ceiling tiles of the public square.
Simply put, the government does not treat churches “neutrally” when it treats them worse than everyone else.

91.5 KJZZ (includes audio): James Campbell of the Alliance Defending Freedom notes the appellate court ruling hinged on the inability of gays to marry in the state, which he says sets a precedent. “If it’s irrational to give that benefit to only legal spouses and not to an unmarried partner or friend, then it is also irrational to also give other benefits to a legal spouse or not to an unmarried friend or partner,” Campbell said.

Citizen Link: Wednesday’s ruling affirms the importance of protecting and strengthening marriage as the union of one man and one woman, according to Alliance Defending Freedom Legal Counsel Dale Schowengerdt. “The people of Hawaii adopted a constitutional amendment to uphold marriage, and the court rightly concluded that the democratic process shouldn’t be short-circuited by judicial decree,” Schowengerdt said. ADF Litigation Counsel Holly Carmichael described the 120-page decision as “very well-reasoned and thought-out.” “The point of the decision — that marriage is between one man and one woman — is a completely rational and good thing for society,” she said. “It re-emphasizes what we have known for so many years.”

WorldNetDaily: Regarding the Denver case, Matt Bowman of the Alliance Defending Freedom represents Hercules Industries, and said the government mandate on contraception is blatantly unconstitutional, and he expects the case to be watched very closely by the Catholic Church and other challengers to the mandate. “This case does not involve stopping anybody from doing anything in terms of employees,” Bowman told WND. “What it involves is using Obamacare to impose mandates on families who are just wanting to earn a living, forcing them to violate their faith and to facilitate things that violate their faith simply because they’re Americans who want to have a business and follow their religious values.”

Travis Barham at the Speak Up Movement University Blog: Last year, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit reminded the nation that “[t]olerance is a two-way street.”  But a new study suggests that academics—particularly psychologists—have yet to get the message.  Not only do they overwhelmingly tilt towards the left end of the political spectrum, but they also admittedly discriminate against conservatives.

Alan Sears at the Alliance Defending Freedom Blog: “The cost of freedom for this family could be millions of dollars per year in fines that will cripple their business if the Obama administration ultimately has its way,” he adds. Americans don’t want politicians and bureaucrats deciding what faith is, who the faithful are, and where and how that faith may be lived out.” Clearly, the danger here is not just to one family business in Colorado – but to you, your family, and countless family business owners and employees throughout the U.S. Please be in special prayer for this crucial case and for our lawyers as they pursue this matter – and other pressing cases – in the courtrooms of America.

National Review: Last Friday, in a victory for religious liberty, a federal district court judge ruled that the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) signed by President Clinton in 1993 provides the Newland family and Hercules Industries an exemption from the HHS mandate.

LifeSiteNews: Alliance Defending Freedom attorneys defended the law and the amendment on behalf of Hawaii Family Forum, which the court allowed to intervene in the case in April. “This ruling affirms that protecting and strengthening marriage as the union of one man and one woman is legitimate, reasonable, and good for society,” said Legal Counsel Dale Schowengerdt. “The people of Hawaii adopted a constitutional amendment to uphold marriage, and the court rightly concluded that the democratic process shouldn’t be short-circuited by judicial decree.”

Holly Carmichael appeared on Hawaii Public Radio to discuss the Hawaii marriage ruling in Jackson v. Abercrombie. | MP3 audio mins 2:57 mins

Michael Foust at Baptist Press: Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) represented the Hawaii Family Forum in defending the law. Hawaii Family Forum was allowed to intervene after Hawaii Gov. Neil Abercrombie, a Democrat, refused to defend the law in court. “This ruling affirms that protecting and strengthening marriage as the union of one man and one woman is legitimate, reasonable, and good for society,” ADF attorney Dale Schowengerdt said in a statement. “The people of Hawaii adopted a constitutional amendment to uphold marriage, and the court rightly concluded that the democratic process shouldn’t be short-circuited by judicial decree.”

Ed Whelan at National Review: Via William Duncan at the Corner, I’ve learned of this strong and sound ruling yesterday in Hawaii by senior federal district judge Alan C. Kay holding that there is no federal constitutional right to same-sex marriage . . . Because the proper exercise of rational-basis review has been so rare of late in the marriage context, I’m going to briefly outline Judge Kay’s reasoning . . . Congratulations to the ADF team that stepped in to help defend Hawaii’s marriage law after governor Neil Abercrombie declined to do so.

NC Register: Matt Bowman, legal counsel with Alliance Defending Freedom, objected to the president’s contention that offering exemptions to the mandatory coverage allows employers to control women. “The only ‘controlling’ actions in this case involve the president’s command that families abandon their faith just because they want to earn a living or serve their community,” Bowman told Catholic News Agency Aug. 8. “The government is picking and choosing what faith is and who can live it out, and then targeting religious people with massive penalties, while bureaucrats exempt millions of other people for political reasons.”

One News Now: Many churches shy away from public schools because they fear violating the so-called “separation of church and state” laws. But Matt Sharp of the Alliance Defending Freedom says churches have the same rights other public organizations enjoy in public schools. “In all of this, the important context is whatever the school allows other community groups to do, the school has to allow church to do the same,” he explains. “There’s no violation of the Constitution or the Establishment Clause when the school merely treats every group equally.”

One News Now: Chick-fil-A President Dan Cathy’s support for the biblical definition of marriage has outraged “gay” activists, who have since been demanding that his restaurants be excused from college campuses. But Matt Sharp of the Alliance Defending Freedom says such action would be illegal. [more]

Religion Clause Blog: Hawaii has enacted a law providing for civil unions that give partners all the same state legal rights as married couples. AP reports on the decision. Alliance Defending Freedom links to the pleadings in the case.

CNA: Matt Bowman, legal counsel with Alliance Defending Freedom, objected to the president’s contention that offering exemptions to the mandatory coverage allows employers to control women. “The only ‘controlling’ actions in this case involve the president’s command that families abandon their faith just because they want to earn a living or serve their community,” Bowman told CNA Aug. 8. “The government is picking and choosing what faith is and who can live it out, and then targeting religious people with massive penalties while bureaucrats exempt millions of other people for political reasons.”

Fox News (AP): “The ruling affirms that protecting and strengthening marriage as the union of one man and one woman is legitimate, reasonable, and good for society,” said Dale Schowengerdt, an attorney representing Hawaii Family Forum.

David Cortman at the Washington Times: To prevent this from happening, Alliance Defending Freedom sent letters focused on the First Amendment and the Supreme Court precedent supporting Chick-fil-A’s speech to four public universities that have received demands to kick Chick-fil-A off campus. This type of retaliation is not only un-American, it’s likely illegal, too.

Wesley J. Smith at The Weekly Standard: A recent federal trial court ruling has warmed the hearts of social conservatives and civil libertarians alike . . . William Newland and his siblings, self-insuring owners of Hercules Industries, a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning manufacturing company, did not appreciate being ordered by the federal government to violate the precepts of their Catholic faith. With the help of the Alliance Defending Freedom, the family members and their business (an S corporation in Colorado) sued, claiming (in addition to constitutional arguments) that the free birth control rule violates their rights under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) . . . As Hercules’s attorney Matthew S. Bowman told me, “Apparently the only things a family business may legally pursue—according to the government—are profit and whatever else Washington bureaucrats decide to mandate, which in our case includes contraception, sterilization, and what many believe to be abortion-inducing drugs.”

David Cortman at the Speak Up Movement Church Blog: But the First Amendment dictates no such separation. In fact, it requires that churches receive the same access to schools as other community organizations. Here are a few suggestions for ways your church can get involved with local schools . . .

Matt Sharp at the Speak Up Movement University Blog: But the fight isn’t over. In fact, it’s just beginning. Because now activist groups are demanding that several universities that have Chick-fil-As on campus take immediate steps to sever all ties with the company.

Mike Norton and Sue Thayer appeared on The View from a Pew with J. Michael McCoy to discuss Thayer v. Planned Parenthood of the Heartland. | MP3 audio 11:20 mins

Michael J. Norton appeared on the Zeb Bell Show to discuss the Newland ruling. | MP3 audio 8:55 mins

Catherine Foster at Townhall: It seems that every day the effects of the culture of death on our society are more and more obvious, and more and more gruesome. Just take the continued funding of Planned Parenthood with taxpayer dollars.

One News Now: “Every American should be free to live and do business according to their faith,” says Matt Sharp, litigation counsel for ADF. “The First Amendment protects Chick-fil-A’s right and its president’s right to express their opinions on marriage and other political and social issues. Any retaliation against Chick-fil-A based on its speech is a violation of federal law.”

Christian Concern: However, an attorney from the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), David Cortman, said that a restaurant cannot be blocked from opening because of the owner’s beliefs. “It absolutely is not constitutional,” Cortman told the Baptist Press. “And I think the irony here is that they are claiming this is an issue of freedom and civil rights, but they’re actually the ones who would be violating the civil rights of Chick-fil-A not to allow them to open up their business simply because of their views.” Cortman said that the issue effected any business or organisation in America whose owners held views different from that of the government.

Newsmax: Both the Family Policy Council of West Virginia and Alliance Defending Freedom came to the defense of the restaurant chain on Friday after gay advocacy group Fairness WV urged university president James Clements to boot the restaurant, MetroNews reports.”The First Amendment protects Chick-fil-A’s right to express its opinion on marriage and other political and social issues and that any retaliation against Chick-fil-A based on its speech is a violation of federal law,” the Alliance’s senior counsel, David Cortman, wrote. In a separate but similar defense letter, Jeremiah Dys, president of the state’s Family Policy Council noted, “Were your office to approve the disassociation with a company who serves your students by selling chicken, you would undermine the very important lessons of free speech and tolerance that the university seeks to teach to its student body.”

The Intelligencer Wheeling News-Register: “The Madison, Wis., foundation has decided to challenge the city over their unofficial logo. And Steubenville has a number of very motivated Christians and Catholics who are used to being very politically motivated. They are also very good at getting media attention on a national basis,” said Terry McKeegan of Steubenville. McKeegan, one of 2,200 attorneys affiliated with the Alliance Defending Freedom, said the city’s unofficial logo may be “the perfect case to take to the Supreme Court.”

Azhar Majeed of FIRE at The Moral Liberal: Following receipt of a letter from the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), the University of Alabama has made an important change to university policy in order to protect the freedom of association of religious student organizations on campus. ADF explains . . .

UPI: It takes four votes on the nine-member court to grant review. Aside from Kennedy, who votes conservative most of the time, the court is split into a four-justice liberal bloc and a four-justice conservative bloc. If Kennedy joins either side, he makes it the majority. A number of analyses, including one in the LGBT Weekly last week, point out this poses a problem for both blocs. Should the four liberals vote to deny review, leaving Prop 8 struck down by the appeals court panel? Or should they vote for review, hoping that Kennedy will join them in any eventual U.S. Supreme Court decision affecting the whole country?

Michael Foust at Baptist Press: Previewing what could be the next front in the public debate over Chick-fil-A, a religious liberty organization has sent letters to five universities urging them to reject demands to boot the restaurant from campus and warning them that any such move would be unconstitutional. The Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) sent the letters to the five universities, making clear it was not representing Chick-fil-A . . .

Colorado Statesman: Mike Norton, one of the attorneys representing the Newland family who is also counsel for the Christian conservative organization Alliance Defense Fund, told The Colorado Statesman that the Hercules case could set the tone for many pending and looming lawsuits. “It’s definitely a precedent-setting case,” said the former congressional candidate and U.S. Attorney for Colorado. “It really is the only case of its kind to this date which has an adverse ruling against Obamacare and this HHS mandate.” [more] . . . A new lobbying organization in Colorado, Secular Coalition for Colorado, says it will fight to ensure that politics never interfere with access to health care or other public policy issues . . .

NYT: A federal appeals court ruling has affirmed a lower court decision upholding the arrest of two protesters who refused to leave a no-demonstration zone across from Madison Square Garden during the 2004 Republican National Convention in New York. | Courthouse News Service: Anti-Abortion Activists Lose RNC Protest Suit – The anti-abortion activists were represented by the D.C.-based Alliance Defense Fund, a Christian legal group. They have no affiliation with the NYCLU or its pending class action. | Marcavage v. NYC

Steve Aden at Townhall: To protect mothers as well as their preborn children, Arizona lawmakers passed H.B. 1036—a bill banning elective abortions after 20 weeks. Although the legislation was aptly titled “The Mother’s Health and Safety Act,” the ACLU and the Center for Reproductive Rights sued to block its implementation.

Hugh Hewitt provides this brief update on the Newland ruling. | MP3 Audio 1 min

NRB: As noted last week, Hercules Industries in Colorado went to federal court in search of an injunction to stave off the Obama Administration mandate . . . As of August 1, that new mandate is now in effect . . . The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) celebrated the day as a victory for women, but noted, “The Obama administration will continue to work with all employers to give them the flexibility and resources they need to implement the health care law in a way that protects women’s health while making common-sense accommodations for values like religious liberty.” In a blog post, Amy Payne and Sarah Torre of the Heritage Foundation responded to the HHS statement, “Religious liberty is a fundamental right guaranteed under the First Amendment of the Constitution, not a mere ‘value’ whose worth is subject to devaluation by any given Administration’s policy.” | Original NRB report: Hercules Battles HHS

Matt Bowman appeared on the Victoria Taft Show to discuss the Newland case. | MP3 audio 8:34 mins

Herald Star: “The Madison, Wis., foundation has decided to challenge the city over their unofficial logo. And Steubenville has a number of very motivated Christians and Catholics who are used to being very politically motivated. They are also very good at getting media attention on a national basis,” said Terry McKeegan of Steubenville. McKeegan, one of 2,200 attorneys affiliated with the Alliance Defending Freedom, said the city’s unofficial logo may be a strong test case.”This may be the perfect case to take to the Supreme Court,” McKeegan said . . . The FFRF issued a press release Thursday afternoon quoting foundation staff attorney Patrick Elliot as telling Repella, “Do not be duped by offers from religious right legal groups. They may volunteer their time pro bono, but they never pick up the plaintiffs’ tab.”