Tag Archives: ADF: Press Releases

Sadly, the Boy Scouts Executive National Council’s decision disregards not only the nearly 19,000 Americans who signed a petition urging BSA to ‘uphold the values that have defined the organization for over 100 years,’ but also the millions of Americans who have supported the program. Those promoting the agenda to change what the Boy Scouts have always been won’t rest until there is complete acceptance of any sexual preference for both leaders and members.

We commend the New York City Council for urging the state legislature to repeal the Department of Education’s policy banning worship services from vacant school buildings. Alliance Defending Freedom will continue to defend the freedom of churches and other religious groups to meet in public schools until they are as free as other groups to serve their communities.

Alliance Defending Freedom has delivered a petition to the Boy Scouts of America signed by 18,724 Americans–including 11,795 who are members of current or former Scouting families or are former Scouts themselves. The petition urges BSA to “uphold the values that have defined the organization for over 100 years” and to reject any efforts to change its membership policy.

Alliance Defending Freedom Senior Legal Counsel Matt Bowman will be available for media interviews Wednesday immediately following his oral argument at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit on behalf of an Indiana-based job provider challenging the Obama administration’s abortion pill mandate.

“Numerous florists are willing to assist in same-sex ceremonies, so the ACLU has no reason to try to force this florist to violate her deeply held beliefs. Arlene’s Flowers has both served and employed people who identify as homosexual. Barronelle Stutzman’s only desire is that she not be forced to violate her faith when it comes to her beliefs about marriage. Family business owners are constitutionally guaranteed the freedom to live and work according to their beliefs.”

ALLIANCE DEFENDING FREEDOM NEWS RELEASE May 20, 2013 – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT MEDIA AND PUBLIC RELATIONS: (480) 444-0020 orwww.adfmedia.org/home/contact   Prayer will be heard on high US Supreme Court to weigh in on prayers presented before public meetings   WASHINGTON — The U.S. …

“Society should protect and strengthen marriage, not undermine it. That’s the belief of the people of France. This redefinition of marriage has been pushed through at great speed without their support. Millions have taken to the streets in protest, but the government has not responded by listening to the people. Instead, it has sought to silence them with police brutality.”

Alliance Defending Freedom attorneys representing a Washington florist sued by state Attorney General Bob Ferguson filed a countersuit against him Thursday.

Disabled children attending faith-based schools who qualify for aid under a federal program will now be eligible to receive tuition aid in the wake of an Alliance Defending Freedom lawsuit against the Montana Office of Public Instruction.

The mandate forces employers, regardless of their religious or moral convictions, to provide insurance coverage for abortion-inducing drugs and devices, sterilization, and contraception under threat of heavy penalties. Currently, the administration is losing in court nationwide with 19 out of 25 court rulings going against the mandate.

All Americans, including job creators and providers, should be free to live according to their faith rather than be forced into violating their own consciences. That’s no different for Geneva College, a Christian-run college that simply wants to abide by the very faith it espouses and teaches. T

One day after receiving a letter from Alliance Defending Freedom, a North Dakota high school and its district agreed to allow a student’s pro-life poster that was part of a class assignment to be placed back on the walls of the school.

Des Moines Area Community College has agreed to no longer enforce its policy of limiting its approved student speech zone to a table in the student center. It has also agreed to no longer require students to get permission to distribute fliers 10 school days in advance.

Alliance Defending Freedom sent a letter Friday to all Vermont legislators to explain the negative consequences of a bill that would allow doctor-prescribed death.

t the government’s own request, a federal appellate court Friday dismissed the Obama administration’s appeal of an order that stopped the president from enforcing his abortion pill mandate against a Bible publisher. The administration’s retreat marks the first total appellate victory on a preliminary injunction in any abortion pill mandate case.

A Maine church’s ordeal in court may lead to a modification in state law that will help end inequities between how churches and non-church charities are treated in property taxation matters.

Alliance Defending Freedom filed a Freedom of Information Act request Wednesday for records related to a Pentagon statement issued Tuesday that indicated members of the military could be subject to court martial for “religious proselytization.”

The Mexican Supreme Court did not allow pro-abortion ideologues to reopen a settled issue–that half of the states of Mexico can continue to declare in their state constitutions that life must be protected from the moment of conception.

Alliance Defending Freedom filed a federal lawsuit Friday on behalf of a 6th-grade student after a Minnesota public school prohibited her from distributing pro-life fliers to her classmates during non-instructional time.

Ongoing attacks and retaliations by Muslims and Christians in Nigeria’s violent, religiously-and-ethnically-mixed Middle Belt has left more than 100 dead and dozens of properties destroyed since March of this year.

“Our hearts join Jim’s and the tremendous number of others who are mourning the death of Carol Garlow. Her unwavering faith and perseverance was an example to many. 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. Our prayers are with Jim and the entire Garlow family.”

Going against its longstanding membership policy, the Boy Scouts of America Executive Committee has now decided to push forward a resolution allowing members to be of any “sexual orientation or preference.” This is only the beginning of a sea change, as those promoting this agenda won’t rest until there is complete acceptance of any sexual preference for both leaders and members. This is no compromise; it is capitulation, plain and simpl

weden’s highest court is being asked to free an 11-year-old boy whom government officials have held in captivity for four years because his parents home-schooled him. Attorneys with Alliance Defending Freedom and the Home School Legal Defense Association are legal advisors to the parents, who are represented by Ruby Harrold-Claesson of the Nordic Committee on Human Rights.

Alliance Defending Freedom and the Home School Legal Defense Association have asked the European Court of Human Rights to hear the case of a Swedish family heavily fined for home-schooling their daughter.

Non-discrimination doesn’t mean anything goes. Being responsible enough to employ someone you trust to watch your baby or bathe your grandmother is not engaging in unlawful discrimination, and the Hawaii Legislature should know better.

All Americans, including job creators and providers, should be free to live according to their faith rather than be forced into violating their own consciences. The court has done the right thing in issuing an order against the administration’s abortion pill mandate, just as many other courts have done. For the many family-run businesses affected by the mandate, the court stated it well: ‘the mandate’s requirements impose a substantial burden on their exercise of religion.

Utah’s Snow College has changed several policies to restore greater religious freedom to its campus and settle an Alliance Defending Freedom lawsuit filed in October of last year on behalf of a Christian student group.

Alliance Defending Freedom has sent a letter to the mayor of Hattiesburg, Miss. to encourage him to continue the Mayor’s Annual Prayer Breakfast despite an atheist group’s false claims that the event is unconstitutional.

Alliance Defending Freedom filed a lawsuit Monday on behalf of a student prohibited from distributing fliers on campus that protested the use of college funds for a conference on sexuality.

Freedom of religion and conscience is a basic and essential human right. This statement calls for the church worldwide to pray for persecuted Christians and other ethnic and religious minorities being forced out of Syria and to petition the United Nations to pay particular attention to their plight.

Alliance Defending Freedom has submitted official comments to the Department of Health and Human Services on behalf of 22 Catholic colleges and higher education programs and four Protestant colleges explaining their objections to the Obama administration’s abortion pill mandate.

lliance Defending Freedom, Cornerstone Policy Research, and Liberty Institute have filed a friend-of-the-court brief with a New Hampshire court in defense of the state’s tax credit program for businesses that wish to help students attending private schools.

Virginia should be congratulated for holding abortionists to the same health and safety standards as everyone else. Their resistance to such standards exposes their real attitude toward women, especially in light of the revelations from the Kermit Gosnell trial and the unsanitary conditions found in investigations of Virginia abortion facilities.

Alliance Defending Freedom made public its latest report to Congress Wednesday identifying waste, abuse, and potential fraud by Planned Parenthood, state family planning programs, and other organizations.

lliance Defending Freedom sent a letter to members of the California Legislature Friday to explain the significant legal and policy problems of a proposed bill designed to punish non-profit youth organizations like the Boy Scouts of America

Alliance Defending Freedom and the Family Research Council filed a friend-of-the-court brief with the U.S. Supreme Court Monday in support of an Oklahoma law that requires doctors prescribing the abortion drug RU-486 to use only the FDA required protocol for the drug. T

“Parents and trained physicians are the ones responsible for the care of underage patients. The court’s decision wrongly allows pharmacies to distribute a life-ending drug over the counter to young girls without their parents’ or doctor’s knowledge or consent.

Alliance Defending Freedom attorneys filed a friend-of-the-court brief with the U.S. Supreme Court last week on behalf of Americans for Tax Reform and the Susan B. Anthony List in defense of Indiana’s freedom to exclude abortionists from state funding through its Medicaid plan.

Alliance Defending Freedom sent a letter Thursday to the Virginia Board of Health urging it to formally adopt proposed abortion facility regulations that will protect the health and safety of women in Virginia.

Alliance Defending Freedom sent a letter to an Alabama school district Wednesday after it banned the word “Easter” at one of its elementary schools in the “interests of religious diversity.”

Sacramento Bee: The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco ruled on Tuesday that the Lancaster City Council’s invocation policy is constitutional because it allows for the opening prayer to be said by any faith or religion. | Rubin v. City of Lancaster

AP: The Indiana Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld the law creating the nation’s broadest school voucher program, clearing the way for a possible expansion.

Alliance Defending Freedom attorneys filed a federal lawsuit late last week against the Montana Office of Public Instruction and Columbus Public Schools on behalf of a hearing-impaired preschooler. State and school district officials denied the young girl disability benefits for tuition payments because her parents enrolled her in a Columbus faith-based preschool.

Alliance Defending Freedom attorneys who are co-counsel in defense of California’s constitutional amendment protecting marriage will be available for media interviews at the U.S. Supreme Court Tuesday following oral arguments in Hollingsworth v. Perry.

Alliance Defending Freedom attorneys filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday against Eastern Michigan University on behalf of a pro-life student organization. University officials denied the group funding from mandatory student activity fees based on its “political or ideological” views even though the university funds other groups involved in political and ideological speech.

Alliance Defending Freedom attorneys file third lawsuit to expose abortion giant’s mishandling of taxpayer dollars

Defenders of California’s constitutional amendment protecting marriage filed a reply brief with the U.S. Supreme Court Tuesday that concisely answers the arguments of those attacking the amendment. The brief is the final one that will be filed before oral arguments scheduled for March 26 in Hollingsworth v. Perry.

Alliance Defending Freedom sent a letter to seven school districts in Illinois and Wisconsin Friday debunking legal claims and misinformation provided by an atheist group. The letter reassures the school districts that, contrary to the atheists’ claims, taking students on field trips to participate in non-religious educational programs at a church-run camp is constitutional.

Alliance Defending Freedom attorneys representing a former Planned Parenthood facility director in Iowa filed notice in district court Wednesday that they are appealing her fraud case to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit.

“We join millions in congratulating Francis I on his selection as pope. He is a leader who has stood strongly for the values of religious freedom, the sanctity of human life, marriage, and the family, often under very trying circumstances. We appreciate his many strong statements over the years on the protection of marriage and the unborn and trust he will continue to be a powerful voice on the deep importance of these issues.”

Alliance Defending Freedom explains Boy Scouts can uphold time-honored mission, avoid legal attacks

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit Tuesday unanimously affirmed a lower court’s order that found two policies at a Pennsylvania school district unconstitutional after they were used to prevent a 5th-grade student from distributing invitations to a Christmas party at her church.

Alliance Defending Freedom Senior Legal Counsel Daniel Lipsic will be available for media interviews immediately following a hearing in a criminal case involving the harvesting of embryonic stem cells and tissue from aborted babies and using them for profit in cosmetic procedures.

Alliance Defending Freedom Senior Counsel Jordan Lorence will be available for media interviews immediately following his oral argument at the New Mexico Supreme Court Monday in defense of an Albuquerque photographer’s freedom of conscience and artistic expression.

ObamaCare’s employer mandate has become the “bludgeon” with which the government feels empowered to cripple the consciences of religious employers.

All Americans, including jobs creators and providers, should be free to live according to their faith rather than be forced into violating their own consciences.

Alliance Defending Freedom attorneys representing a Colorado mortgage banking company co-owned by former U.S. Sen. Bill Armstrong filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday against the Obama administration’s abortion pill mandate.

enowned medical experts and researchers will discuss groundbreaking findings on the most important factors in saving the lives of mothers in childbirth at a policy briefing and press conference Wednesday

A coalition of religious freedom advocacy groups will hold a parallel event at the 22nd session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva Wednesday to call upon all nations to respect universally acknowledged international standards.

The Colorado Court of Appeals Thursday upheld the constitutionality of a Douglas County voucher program that pays for students who attend “private school partners” rather than government-run schools.

A Missouri-based plumbing products manufacturer is the latest company to win a court order against the Obama administration’s abortion pill mandate, bringing the total number of court rulings against the mandate to 12 compared to four in its favor.

The U.S. Department of Justice filed a brief Friday with the U.S. Supreme Court inUnited States v. Windsor arguing, among other things, that the federal Defense of Marriage Act is unconstitutional, but only under “heightened constitutional scrutiny,” as described in this legal analysis.

Alliance Defending Freedom has sent a letter to the North Carolina High School Athletic Association explaining why a wrestling official’s penalty against a high school wrestler who prayed for two seconds at the beginning of a match is unconstitutional.

The wisest course is for the Supreme Court to resist demands to prematurely end the national debate over the future of marriage. Californians and Congress voted for marriage, and the court should respect the freedom to affirm society’s fundamental building block.

Woman says abortionist forced her through abortion without anesthesia,
left part of baby’s body inside her

Alliance Defending Freedom attorneys filed a friend-of-the-court brief late last week with the Louisiana Supreme Court in defense of the Louisiana Scholarship Program against an attack by a teachers’ union and several public school boards.

Alliance Defending Freedom attorneys have asked the full U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit to weigh in on a three-judge panel’s ruling against a New York 8th-grade student who wanted to include a religious blessing at the end of her graduation speech.

HHS investigation requested by Alliance Defending Freedom on behalf of NY nurse prompts new changes at hospital

A group of European jurists and legal scholars have filed a brief with the U.S. Supreme Court in support of a 2008 constitutional amendment approved by California voters that protects marriage as the union of one man and one woman.

Alliance Defending Freedom attorneys and allied attorneys have filed the first legal challenge to the Obama administration’s abortion pill mandate since the announcement last week of additional proposed rules that do not respect the religious freedom of family business owners. The federal lawsuit was filed Monday on behalf of the owner of several small businesses that run senior living centers and skilled nursing facilities in Colorado.

“All Americans, not just those in church organizations, are guaranteed freedom of conscience in their daily lives and work. The administration’s narrow gesture does nothing to protect many faith-based employers or religious families from the unconstitutional abortion pill mandate. The government has no business putting religious freedom on the negotiating table, or picking and choosing who is allowed to exercise faith.”

“Americans have the God-given freedom to live and do business according to their faith. 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.”

“Americans have the God-given freedom to live and do business according to their faith. Forcing employers to surrender their faith in Aorder to earn a living is unprecedented, unnecessary, and unconstitutional. Honoring God 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. We are pleased that the court delivered the Obama administration a reminder of this foundational truth, and we are confident that this unconstitutional mandate’s days are numbered.”

Alliance Defending Freedom attorneys have filed a federal lawsuit to challenge the exclusion of a Christian pre-school and daycare center from a Missouri program that provides recycled tires for children’s playgrounds. Although the state highly ranked the center as qualified for the program, it denied its application solely because it is run by a church.

Alliance Defending Freedom has distributed a letter to Georgia legislators and Christian schools across the state in response to an activist group’s false allegation that Georgia’s school choice scholarship program supports religious schools with “anti-gay” policies simply because the schools adhere to Christian ethics.