Tag Archives: ADF: Nate Kellum

ADF Attorney Nate Kellum appeared on the Zeb Bell Show to discuss the assault on a nativity scene in Texas. | MP3 audio 15:40 mins | Related: Video: Thousands Rally in Texas to Save Nativity – War On Christmas | Nate Kellum at Townhall: Don’t Mess with Texas (at Christmas)

ADF Attorney Nate Kellum at Townhall: And while it sounds like the FFRF is about to get a lesson in what “Don’t mess with Texas” means, Athens and other towns around the country need to remember that they can respond to a letter from the FFRF with a phone call, an e-mail, or a mailed request to the Alliance Defense Fund.ADF exists to defend religious liberty free of charge, and part of that liberty consists in the freedom to celebrate the birth of Christ at Christmas.

Christian Post: The county was represented by the Alliance Defense Fund, an organization that frequently takes up the case of Decalogue displays on public property.
Nathan Kellum, the ADF legal counsel who took the Johnson County case, did not return phone calls by press time.

Oregon Faith Report: Georgene Rice interviews Nate Kellum with the Alliance Defense Fund to discuss a Federal lawsuit they have filed regarding a free speech zone in Issaquah, Washington. A city ordinance, if left to stand, could have implications on the free exercise of religion in that community and other places as well.

Oregon Faith Report: Georgene Rice interviews Nate Kellum with the Alliance Defense Fund to discuss a Federal lawsuit they have filed regarding a free speech zone in Issaquah, Washington. A city ordinance, if left to stand, could have implications on the free exercise of religion in that community and other places as well.

Examiner.com: According to Nate Kellum of the ADF, the ordinance violates the “constitutionally protected right to free speech in public areas at a free event that’s open to everyone.”

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.”

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.”

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.”

Snoqualmie Valley Record: “The problem with those so-called free expression areas is you can’t really reach an audience,” said Alliance Defense Fund attorney Nate Kellum, the senior counsel for Ascherl’s case. “Nobody really came that close to where he was forced to be.”

The Issaquah Press: Attorneys from the Alliance Defense Fund, a legal advocacy group based in Scottsdale, Ariz., represented Ascherl in federal court. “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.”

SnoValley Star: The free-speech zones set up by Issaquah are merely circumventing the First Amendment, said Nate Kellum, one of the attorneys with the Alliance Defense Fund representing Ascherl . . . “Ascherl’s literature distribution was far less prone to create congestion than these other activities.” The city’s expression areas don’t allow for real freedom of expression, Kellum said. “What is free speech if no one can hear it?” he asked.

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.”

The Issaquah Press: The incident attracted attention from the Alliance Defense Fund, a legal advocacy group based in Scottsdale, Ariz. “Christians shouldn’t be threatened with arrest and censored by being quarantined to isolated ‘expression areas’ when they want to share their beliefs,” Alliance Defense Fund Senior Counsel Nate Kellum said in a statement. “The city ordinance mandating the 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.”

SeattlePI.com: “Christians shouldn’t be threatened with arrest and censored by being quarantined to isolated ‘expression areas’ when they want to share their beliefs,” said Nate Kellum, senior counsel wih the Alliance Defense Fund, in a statement. Kellum said the ordinance violates the “protected right to free speech in public areas at a free event that’s open to everyone.”

OneNewsNow.com: ADF attorney Nate Kellum tells OneNewsNow the charges were later dropped, but that did not end the matter. “The postal office isn’t above the law and cannot take away citizens’ constitutionally protected rights just because it or its customers might not agree with the content of someone’s speech or literature,” he contends. “Our client isn’t harassing anyone; he’s simply desiring to quietly share his faith in a completely public forum.”

Christian Post: Christians shouldn’t be arrested and silenced for peacefully sharing their beliefs on public property,” said Alliance Defense Fund Senior Counsel Nate Kellum in a statement released on Monday.

Charisma: “Christians shouldn’t be arrested and silenced for peacefully sharing their beliefs on public property,” says Nate Kellum, ADF senior counsel. “The post office isn’t above the law and cannot take away citizens’ constitutionally protected rights just because it or its customers might not agree with the content of someone’s speech or literature. Our client isn’t harassing anyone; he’s simply desiring to quietly share his faith in a completely public forum.”

Family News in Focus Audio (5:25 mins, broadcast on 5/24/2011) covers several ADF related stories. ADF attorney Daniel Blomberg discusses the threat to chaplains in the military from the repeal of DADT (related ADF press release). ADF attorney Dale Schowengerdt discusses this: ADF: All students deserve to be protected from bullying. And, ADF attorney Nate Kellum discusses this: ADF tackles SUNY policies stifling free speech at Albany campus.

ADF attorney Nate Kellum appeared several radio program to discuss this: Got free speech at Ariz. colleges? Only if you’ve got money, two weeks. | The Hugh Hewitt Show, MP3 audio 5:31 mins | The Janet Medford Show, MP3 audio 18:50 mins

ADF letter says policy requiring visitors to pay fee, buy insurance, wait 14 days
before engaging in free speech on campus is unconstitutional

LifeSiteNews: The students were represented by attorneys with the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF). “Christian students shouldn’t be discriminated against for expressing their beliefs,” said ADF Senior Counsel Nate Kellum. “The 7th Circuit has, once again, rightly recognized the First Amendment-protected …

One News Now: ut the appeals court ruled against the Indian Prairie School District, stating that the school should not have stifled the students’ response to the Day of Silence — which Kellum argues has in fact silenced Christians’ voices. “It has worked to effectively silence them and their viewpoint about homosexual behavior,” he states, explaining that the decision establishes a precedent “that in an environment where a school freely allows speech that promotes homosexual behavior, the school cannot crush the opposing viewpoint

UPI.com: Nate Kellum, senior counsel for the Alliance Defense Fund, an alliance of Christian attorneys who filed the suit, applauded the appeals court ruling. “In an environment that freely allows speech that promotes homosexual behavior, the school simply cannot shut out the opposing viewpoint,” he said

Chicago Tribune: The suit was brought by the Alliance Defense Fund, which litigates on behalf of Christian causes. Nate Kellum, senior counsel with the group, said the court made the right decision. “It sets a precedent that students, Christians or otherwise, who have speech that may not be the politically correct speech, may not be the most popular speech, (can) feel free to express their views just like anyone else,” he said.

Chicago Pride: “It sets a precedent that students, Christians or otherwise, who have speech that may not be the politically correct speech, may not be the most popular speech, (can) feel free to express their views just like anyone else,” Alliance Defense Fund counsel Nate Kellum told the Tribune.”

Wall Street Journal Law Blog: Nate Kellum, senior counsel for the Alliance Defense Fund, a legal alliance of Christian attorneys who represented the students in the suit, responded to the Sun-Times: “In an environment that freely allows speech that promotes homosexual behavior, the school simply cannot shut out the opposing viewpoint.”

Huffington Post: “Pursuant of her earnest religious convictions, Heidi sought a way to communicate her belief that homosexual conduct doesn’t lead to happiness,” Zamecnik’s lawyer Nate Kellum told MTV when the suit was filed in 2007. “She wanted to wear a T-shirt communicating that idea.”

Alliance Defense Fund attorneys won an important decision Tuesday in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit against Indian Prairie School District on behalf of high school students prohibited from expressing their religious views about homosexual behavior on T-shirts. The court rejected Indian Prairie’s argument that school officials could justifiably put the First Amendment aside and censor T-shirts with the message “Be Happy, Not Gay” to prevent some students’ from having their feelings hurt.

Religion Clause Blog: In Zamecnik v. Indian Prairie School District #204, (7th Cir., March 1, 2011), the U.S. 7th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a trial court’s entry of a permanent injunction permitting any student at a Naperville, Illinois high school  to display on clothing or personal items the slogan “Be Happy, Not Gay.”

CBS Chicago: Christian students shouldn’t be discriminated against for expressing their beliefs,” said Nate Kellum, senior counsel for the Alliance Defense Fund. “The 7th Circuit has, once again, rightly recognized the First Amendment-protected rights of students on a public school campus. In an environment that freely allows speech that promotes homosexual behavior, the school simply cannot shut out the opposing viewpoint.”

Chicago Sun-Times: Nate Kellum, senior counsel for the Alliance Defense Fund, a legal alliance of Christian attorneys who represented the students in the suit, responded: “In an environment that freely allows speech that promotes homosexual behavior, the school simply cannot shut out the opposing viewpoint.”

Metro Weekly: The conservative religious legal organization Alliance Defense Fund filed the lawsuit. ADF’s Nate Kellum said the student who wore the shirt, Heidi Zamecnik, did so to promote her religious views: ”Christian students shouldn’t be discriminated against for expressing their beliefs”

Herald Citizen: “Five months to the day after a lawsuit was filed against the Putnam County Library, a resolution in the controversy has been settled by both parties . . . ‘Putnam County had no right (as was proven by this legal action) to censor Christians,’ local religious author Ilene Vick said . . . Vick was represented by Nate Kellum of the Alliance Defense Fund, who serves as senior counsel on with the Alliance Defense Fund at its Memphis regional service center. ‘Basically, the new policy eliminates the concerns about the rooms not being used for religious purposes,’ Kellum said.”

Washington Post: The case was brought by Michael Boardley, who was distributing religious materials at Mount Rushmore in South Dakota in 2007 before a park ranger stopped him because he lacked a permit. His attempts to obtain a permit failed, and he later sued. “It was a bureaucratic nightmare,” said Nate Kellum, senior counsel with the Alliance Defense Fund, a nonprofit Christian legal defense group. “He was completely stymied from sharing his Christian views with anybody else.” (Kellum is further quoted . . . )

Alliance Defense Fund attorneys filed a notice of appeal Tuesday in the ongoing battle for a public school student who was prohibited from reading and discussing the Bible during recess. ADF is appealing a jury verdict against the student and a court order that denied his request for a new trial.

Argus Leader (USA Today): “[Nate Kellum], senior counsel for the Alliance Defense Fund, an organization of Christian lawyers who defend the rights of people to express their faith, said the ruling ‘means the court has recognized that the First Amendment was all the permit you need to share your views on public property.’”

USA Today: “The Department of Justice and the National Park Service . . . have until Sept. 27 to ask for a temporary stay of the ruling by a three-judge panel of the U.S Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, which last month struck down regulations requiring permission before handing out leaflets or carrying signs . . . [Nate Kellum], senior counsel for the Alliance Defense Fund, an organization of Christian attorneys who defend the rights of people to express their faith, says the ruling ‘means the court has recognized that the First Amendment was all the permit you need to share your views on public property.’”

“Alliance Defense Fund attorneys secured a consent order Friday from a district court that requires the city of Stayton to allow a man to display pro-life signs on a public street corner.”

ADF President and CEO Alan Sears writing at Inside the Issues: “ADF lawyers filed a federal lawsuit on Boardley’s behalf against the Department of the Interior, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. In March, 2009, the court found that a portion of one of the regulations challenged in the lawsuit was unconstitutional. ADF attorneys didn’t think that went far enough because it still forced individuals, like Boardley, to obtain government permission to communicate with fellow citizens, and so they filed an appeal with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit two months later. On August 6, that court issued its ruling, in favor of Boardley.”

WorldNetDaily: “Library ‘policy’ bans the use of the rooms for discussion of ‘religious’ books, according to the complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee by the Alliance Defense Fund. ‘It’s incredibly ironic that discussing a book would be prohibited in a library,’ said ADF Senior Counsel [Nate Kellum] of the complaint filed yesterday. ‘The government cannot discriminate against Christians just because of their religious viewpoint.’”

ChristianWebNews: “ADF Senior Counsel [Nate Kellum] said, ‘Christians shouldn’t be excluded from reserving and using public meeting facilities because of their beliefs. It’s incredibly ironic that discussing a book would be prohibited in a library. The government cannot discriminate against Christians just because of their religious viewpoint.’”

The Christian Post: “‘Christians shouldn’t be excluded from reserving and using public meeting facilities because of their beliefs,’ said [Nate Kellum], senior counsel with the Alliance Defense Fund. ‘It’s incredibly ironic that discussing a book would be prohibited in a library. The government cannot discriminate against Christians just because of their religious viewpoint.’”

The Black Hills Pioneer: “[Nate Kellum] of the Alliance Defense Fund, which is representing Boardley, said: ‘The First Amendment is the only permit a Christian or any American needs to engage in free speech on public property . . . Certainly, it made no sense to enforce unconstitutional regulations that deny free speech at the foot of Mount Rushmore a place where four men who championed America’s freedoms are immortalized in stone.’”

Rapid City Journal: “[Nate Kellum] of the Alliance Defense Fund, which is representing Boardley, said: ‘The First Amendment is the only permit a Christian or any American needs to engage in free speech on public property . . . Certainly, it made no sense to enforce unconstitutional regulations that deny free speech at the foot of Mount Rushmore – a place where four men who championed America’s freedoms are immortalized in stone.’”

Philadelphia Daily News: “‘The only permit we need to speak to our fellow citizens is the First Amendment,’ said [Nate Kellum], a Memphis, Tenn., attorney for the Alliance Defense Fund, who argued the winning case. ‘We don’t need to go through the bureaucratic nightmare of securing a governmental permit just to hand out literature, hold up a sign or engage in conversation.’”

Victoria Advocate: “[Nate Kellum] of the Alliance Defense Fund, which is representing Boardley, said: ‘The First Amendment is the only permit a Christian or any American needs to engage in free speech on public property. … Certainly, it made no sense to enforce unconstitutional regulations that deny free speech at the foot of Mount Rushmore – a place where four men who championed America’s freedoms are immortalized in stone.’” | ADF News Release

The Chronicle of Higher Education: “The Alliance Defense Fund was pleased with the panel’s opinion regarding the security fee but plans to ask the full appellate court to re-examine the other parts of Mr. Sonnier’s appeal. The three-judge panel should have considered not whether Southeastern Louisiana’s policy could be valid in some circumstances but whether its restrictive provisions were narrowly tailored to meet the university’s interests, said [Nathan W. Kellum], senior counsel for the group. ‘If the court would apply the right standard, they would come up with the right result,’ Mr. Kellum said.”

Inside Higher Ed: “The challenge to Southeastern Louisiana’s policies came from Jeremy Sonnier, a nondenominational Christian preacher who visits many college campuses to offer his views and frequently to disagree with conventional thinking about many moral issues . . . [Nate Kellum], senior counsel for the Alliance Defense Fund, said that the problem with requiring outside speakers to cover security costs is that ‘you are attaching a cost to speech, and that’s inappropriate.’”

Brad A. Greenberg writing at GetReligion.org: “It’s difficult to understand why only FOX News Radio and World Net Daily thought this was news. … ‘According to [Nate Kellum], senior counsel with the Alliance Defense Fund, a police officer “abruptly” interrupted the prayer and ordered the group to cease and desist.’”

The Philadelphia Bulletin: “‘Christians shouldn’t be silenced for exercising their beliefs through quiet prayer on public property,’ said Alliance Defense Fund Senior Counsel [Nate Kellum]. ‘The last place you’d expect this kind of obvious disregard for the First Amendment would be on the grounds of the U.S. Supreme Court itself, but that’s what happened.’”

ADF attorney Nate Kellum appeared on In the Market with Janet Parshall to discuss this: Police say prayer illegal on U.S. Supreme Court grounds. | MP3 20:04 mins

“‘Religious liberties are under attack across the country,’ Kellum says. ‘My sense is that there’s some type of knee-jerk reaction, almost an allergic reaction, if someone sees the expression of religion,’ he says.”

ADF Attorney Nate Kellum appeared on The Drew Mariani Show to discuss the situation involving Arizona students prohibited from praying outside SCOTUS. | MP3 7:06 mins

WNCT (AP): “Alliance Defense Fund Senior Counsel [Nate Kellum] says the small group from a Christian school in Arizona had bowed their heads and begun praying for the justices when police stopped them.”

CNSNews: “According to attorneys from ADF, Supreme Court police forced teacher Maureen Rigo from the building steps and told her the act of bowing her head and praying on the Supreme Court steps was unlawful. … [Kellum] said when Rigo contacted the Supreme Court Police headquarters, a Supreme Court Police sergeant — whose identity he did not disclose — confirmed the policy. The sergeant, Kellum said, asked Rigo if her group contained more than three persons, and if they bowed their heads. Rigo answered ‘Yes’ to both questions.”

Catholic News Agency: “‘Christians shouldn’t be silenced for exercising their beliefs through quiet prayer on public property,’ commented [Nate Kellum], Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) senior counsel. ‘The last place you’d expect this kind of obvious disregard for the First Amendment would be on the grounds of the U.S. Supreme Court itself, but that’s what happened.’”

ADF Attorney Nate Kellum appeared on the Don Kroah Show to discuss the situation involving Arizona students prohibited from praying outside SCOTUS. | MP3 7:51 mins

LifeSiteNews: “‘Christians shouldn’t be silenced for exercising their beliefs through quiet prayer on public property,’ said Alliance Defense Fund Senior Counsel [Nate Kellum]. ‘The last place you’d expect this kind of obvious disregard for the First Amendment would be on the grounds of the U.S. Supreme Court itself, but that’s what happened.’”

The Christian Institute: “A police officer in America has told a group of teachers and children praying outside the US Supreme Court that they should find somewhere else to go. American organisation the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) has warned that the police action breaches constitutional free speech rights. ‘Christians shouldn’t be silenced for exercising their beliefs through quiet prayer on public property’, [Nate Kellum] from ADF said.”

OneNewsNow: “Wickenburg Christian Academy teacher Maureen Rigo of Arizona had taken a group of students to tour the complex, and ADF attorney [Nate Kellum] tells OneNewsNow they had just completed a May 5 visit to the Supreme Court and were on the steps outside. ‘They decided to mark the occasion [and] that they would pray. They just simply circled…bowed their heads and quietly prayed,’ Kellum reports. ‘And yet what happened is they were abruptly stopped [by] a police officer for the Supreme Court building who told them that what they were doing was violating a federal statute and said that they had to take their prayer elsewhere.’”

Christian Post: “A Christian legal firm has threatened U.S. Supreme Court officials with a lawsuit unless they state in writing that people can quietly pray on the court’s grounds. A letter was sent by the Alliance Defense Fund on Thursday on behalf of a Wickenburg, Ariz., teacher who was prohibited by a Supreme Court police officer in May from praying with her students on the steps of the court. ‘There is no reason to silence Mrs. Rigo’s activities since these activities do not attract attention, create a crowd, or give off the appearance of partiality,” ADF Senior Counsel Nate Kellum argues in the letter. “The ban on private prayers cannot hope to survive First Amendment scrutiny.’”

Fox News: “According to Nate Kellum, senior counsel with the Alliance Defense Fund, a police officer “abruptly” interrupted the prayer and ordered the group to cease and desist. ‘They were told to stop praying because they were violating the law and they had to take their prayer elsewhere,’ Kellum told FOX News Radio. A spokesperson for the Court said the Marshal of the Court will look into the events alleged by the ADF.”

Spero News: The Alliance Defense Fund sent a letter to U.S. Supreme Court officials on July 15 that urges them to stop their police officers from prohibiting people from quietly praying outside the court building . . . “Christians shouldn’t be silenced for exercising their beliefs through quiet prayer on public property,” said ADF Senior Counsel Nate Kellum. “The last place you’d expect this kind of obvious disregard for the First Amendment would be on the grounds of the U.S. Supreme Court itself, but that’s what happened.”

ADF attorneys send letter to Supreme Court officials urging them to allow constitutionally protected prayer outside court building

ADF attorney Nate Kellum appeared on the Georgene Rice Show to discuss Pearson v. City of Stayton. | MP3 10:20 mins | ADF Media information on the case

Nate Kellum appeared on the Janet Mefferd Show to discuss efforts to stop a Minnesota evangelist’s witness at a “Pride Festival.” | MP3 12:49 mins | ADF Media Information

Statesman Journal: “An Oregon man has filed a lawsuit in federal court against the city of Stayton for allegedly violating his right to display anti-abortion signs featuring images of aborted fetuses. … ‘Pro-life advocates shouldn’t be kept from expressing their beliefs simply because city officials or others may oppose their viewpoint or find it offensive,’ ADF Senior Counsel [Nate Kellum] said in a statement.” | ADF News Release

The Underground: “Brian Johnson of Hayward, Wis., handed out Bibles in the weekend Twin Cities Pride Festival after U.S. District Judge John Tunheim ruled in his favor against festival organizers, the AP said. … Johnson’s attorney, [Nathan Kellum] of the Alliance Defense Fund said that while Johnson does not perceive himself to be an anti-gay activist, he does see himself as an evangelist, the AP said.” | ADF News Release

Statesman Journal: “An Oregon man has filed a lawsuit in federal court against the city of Stayton for allegedly violating his right to display anti-abortion signs featuring images of aborted fetuses. … ‘Pro-life advocates shouldn’t be kept from expressing their beliefs simply because city officials or others may oppose their viewpoint or find it offensive,’ ADF Senior Counsel [Nate Kellum] said in a statement.” | ADF News Release

Wall Street Journal: “A Wisconsin evangelist will be able to distribute Bibles and discuss sin this weekend at a Minneapolis gay-pride festival, the result of a federal court ruling Friday that could spark a First Amendment battle in the Midwest. … Mr. Johnson received free legal aid from the Alliance Defense Fund of Scottsdale, Ariz., a group that offers legal assistance in cases focusing on abortion, families and religious freedom. … [Mr. Kellum] said Twin Cities Pride has ‘a constitutional right to speak their peace,’ and ‘that’s what Mr. Johnson does.’”

Alliance Defense Fund attorneys filed a lawsuit Thursday against the city of Stayton on behalf of a man who was approached by police officers and told he could not display his pro-life signs on a street corner.

Pioneer Press: “U.S. District Judge John Tunheim heard arguments from attorneys for the festival, the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board and from Brian Johnson, the man whose desire to hand out Bibles and tell festival-goers homosexuality is a sin started the imbroglio. … Johnson was not at the hearing, but was represented via telephone by [Nathan Kellum], a Memphis attorney for Alliance Defense Fund. … ‘They want to control the message,’ he said of Twin Cities Pride. ‘All he intends to do is walk through the park, talk to people and, if the situation arises, hand out Bibles. There’s no basis to control the conduct.’” | The Complaint

Minneapolis Star-Tribune: “A federal judge is expected to decide Thursday afternoon whether a Wisconsin evangelist may hand out Bibles without a vendor license at this weekend’s Twin Cities Pride festival in Minneapolis’ Loring Park. … Johnson’s attorney, [Nate Kellum], who was present via teleconference during the hourlong hearing before a full courtroom, argued that Pride is attempting to keep Johnson from distributing materials at the festival ‘because they don’t like his message.’”

Minneapolis Star Tribune: “A born-again Christian evangelist and organizers of the nation’s third-largest gay pride festival are locked in a free-speech dispute expected to land them in federal court just three days before 200,000 people descend on Loring Park for the Twin Cities Pride festival. … ADF senior counsel [Nate Kellum] said the case is ‘unusual in that you have a private entity suing the city to keep another citizen from speaking.’ Kellum said ADF will fight the request for an injunction.”