Tag Archives: ADF: Press Releases

The Alliance Defense Fund together with The Family Foundation of Virginia sent a letter to Chesapeake Mayor Alan Krasnoff and other city officials Tuesday, offering to provide pro bono legal assistance if the city adopts a model prayer policy that subsequently gets attacked in court.

In a 6-to-6 decision, the full U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit Thursday narrowly decided not to review a three-judge panel’s determination that a Ten Commandments display at the Haskell County, Oklahoma, Courthouse is unconstitutional. Attorneys with the Alliance Defense Fund plan to appeal the case to the U.S. Supreme Court.

ADF Media: “Alliance Defense Fund attorneys reached a settlement agreement with the city of Pensacola on behalf of St. Faustina Old Catholic Church, freeing it to hold church picnics once again at Plaza Ferdinand VII, a popular historic park in downtown Pensacola.”

“After launching an audit of the church in August 2008, the IRS has now stated in a letter that it is closing its examination of the sermons due to a procedural problem.”

Alliance Defense Fund attorneys secured a settlement Monday with Atlanta Public Schools that will result in official recognition of a Christian student club that was repeatedly denied access to the same rights, benefits, and privileges given to all other student clubs at Sutton Middle School.

“This new domestic partnership scheme is precisely the type of marriage imitation that the constitutional amendment approved by Wisconsin voters was intended to prevent.”

“Alliance Defense Fund attorneys filed a lawsuit Monday against Mount Sinai Hospital on behalf of a Catholic nurse who was forced to participate in a late-term abortion under the threat of disciplinary action, including possible termination and loss of her license.”

“A federal court Thursday threw out a legal challenge filed against California’s constitutional amendment that defines marriage as the union of one man and one woman.”

“The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit ruled Wednesday that a New Jersey ministry represented by Alliance Defense Fund attorneys should have its First Amendment claims heard in federal district court.”

Alliance Defense Fund attorneys have obtained a settlement from city of Wildwood officials that will allow citizens to distribute religious literature on public sidewalks, in parks, and in all other public forums without obtaining a permit.

“A federal court Monday granted a motion filed by attorneys with the Alliance Defense Fund Center for Academic Freedom to halt enforcement of a Los Angeles City College District policy that violates student free speech rights.”

lliance Defense Fund attorneys filed a lawsuit Monday against Georgia Southern University officials on behalf of a Christian man arrested for sharing his faith in the campus’s “free speech area.”

Alliance Defense Fund Legal Counsel Tim Tracey will be available for media interviews Tuesday following his testimony before the Massachusetts Legislature at a public hearing on H.B. 1728, titled “An Act Relative to Gender Based Discrimination and Hate Crimes.”

“ADF attorneys defending legal protections for pre-born children in Ireland at the European Court of Human Rights say the importance of the case has grown exponentially . . . ”

Alliance Defense Fund Senior Counsel Jordan Lorence will be available for media interviews Tuesday following his testimony before the West Virginia Legislature on the need for a constitutional amendment defining marriage as the union of one man and one woman.

The Ohio Supreme Court ruled Friday that an Ohio statute does indeed require abortionists to abide by the manufacturer’s dosing instructions and warnings when prescribing the abortion drug RU-486.

A federal court Tuesday ruled that the official proponents and campaign committee for Proposition 8, ProtectMarriage.com, will be allowed to intervene federal court against a Hollywood-backed lawsuit designed to tear down California’s voter-approved marriage amendment.

The Alliance Defense Fund honored six allied attorneys last week that have provided thousands of hours of dedicated, pro-bono service in defense of religious liberty, the sanctity of life, marriage, and the family. The value of those hours amounts to millions of dollars in free legal services that they have provided to clients in need.

Alliance Defense Fund attorneys together with attorney Charles Holster of Mineola have filed a motion to intervene to challenge a federal court order that requires the Food and Drug Administration to allow the Plan B drug, which many doctors believe can cause an abortion, to be sold over the counter to minors.

“No one should be allowed to decide that an innocent life is worthless. Virginia has legitimately chosen to protect innocent life from a terrible procedure, and the court was right to uphold Virginia’s law.”

Alliance Defense Fund attorneys secured a settlement Tuesday with the village of Fife Lake on behalf of Forest Area Bible Church, which will no longer be forced to pay discriminatory rental fees to use the village’s municipal building.

“The Texas Supreme Court ruled unanimously in favor of a ministry to former prison inmates Friday, determining that zoning regulations passed by the city of Sinton to oust the ministry from town violates the Texas Religious Freedom Restoration Act.”

“A federal judge ruled Friday that Contra Costa County officials can no longer prohibit a Christian ministry from accessing Antioch Branch Library public meeting rooms just because government employees consider its scheduled activities to be ‘religious services.’”

fficials at Wright State University have agreed to reverse their decision to deny recognition of a Christian student group after receiving letters and public exposure from both the Alliance Defense Fund Center for Academic Freedom and the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education.

“The law school requires all students to pay fees to support student groups but then allows distribution of those fees to be skewed toward groups with viewpoints favored by the Student Bar Association.”

Alliance Defense Fund attorneys filed suit in federal court Tuesday after the Collier County School Board rejected a church’s attempt to participate in a flier distribution program open to other community groups. The board refused to allow Cypress Wood Presbyterian Church to advertise its upcoming Vacation Bible School because of the religious nature of the event even though the school district has allowed fliers from other religious and non-religious community groups.

Alliance Defense Fund attorneys filed a lawsuit Wednesday against the District of Columbia Board of Elections and Ethics on behalf of Bishop Harry R. Jackson and other D.C. voters, challenging its vote Monday to deny the people a say on the city council’s decision to recognize same-sex “marriages” from other jurisdictions. In the suit, ADF attorneys point out that the board disregarded a previous court ruling when rejecting a referendum that would allow voters to decide the matter.

Attorneys with the Alliance Defense Fund obtained a settlement Monday in Gilles v. Hodge, bringing to end a five-year legal battle over Miami University’s speech policy that prohibited a Christian man from exercising his First Amendment rights on campus . . .

A federal judge issued an order Thursday permanently prohibiting the city of St. Louis from banning a Christian ministry from distributing literature and speaking about their religious viewpoint at an annual “PrideFest” event celebrating homosexual behavior.

lliance Defense Fund Senior Legal Counsel Brian Raum will be available for media interviews after testifying before the Board of Elections at a hearing Wednesday. Raum will join pastors and others in support of allowing citizens of the District of Columbia to vote on whether to accept or reject the decision of the D.C. City Council to recognize same-sex “marriages” from other jurisdictions.

Officials from the University of California, Los Angeles, confirmed Tuesday that they will permit a Christian student’s graduation statement to include a word of thanks to Jesus Christ after first saying they would not allow the sentence.

Attorneys with the Alliance Defense Fund are reviewing possible options for appeal after . . . the 10th Circuit Monday reversed a lower court decision that upheld the constitutionality of a Ten Commandments display at the Haskell County, Oklahoma, Courthouse.

. . . the feelings of a single ‘offended’ person or honoring the memory of thousands of American heroes in a way that has been considered constitutional throughout our nation’s history? . . .

“The evidence presented to the court showed that placing this child with a married mother and father was best for her,” said ADF Senior Legal Counsel Byron Babione. “The court disregarded this evidence in its decision, choosing instead to override a lower court’s decision that was fully within the bounds of the law.”

“A federal judge refused Wednesday to grant motions by the Maryland State Police, Harford County, and the city of Bel Air to dismiss a lawsuit brought against them by Alliance Defense Fund attorneys on behalf of three young pro-life women.”

“The county has clearly responded in the right way to this incident so far, demonstrating a desire to protect the constitutional rights of this family,” said ADF Senior Counsel Joe Infranco. “We look forward to a positive outcome from its internal policy review.”

ADF Senior Legal Counsel Erik Stanley: “It’s ridiculous to be sentenced to jail and probation for doing what churches have traditionally done throughout history, especially when the sound of the church’s bells did not exceed the noise level that the law allows for ice cream trucks.”

Officials at Santa Rosa County School District, who previously barred a Christian-based club from meeting at Jay High School, have reversed course after receiving a letter from the Alliance Defense Fund.

ADF attorneys sent a letter to Empowering Spirits Foundation on behalf of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland, Maine, urging it to cease filing frivolous and factually flawed IRS complaints as a way of intimidating organizations that believe in protecting marriage.

The official proponents and campaign committee for Proposition 8, ProtectMarriage.com, filed a motion to intervene Thursday in federal court against a new Hollywood-backed lawsuit designed to tear down California’s voter-approved marriage amendment . . .

U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit ruled Thursday in favor of an inner-city church that had been denied reimbursement for property improvements requested by the city of Detroit because of a lawsuit that was filed by American Atheists.

“No one should be allowed to decide that an innocent life is worthless,” said ADF Legal Counsel Matt Bowman.

“When lawmakers have to choose between protecting our children and protecting sexually-oriented businesses, the choice is obvious: our children’s safety comes first,” said ADF Senior Legal Counsel Mike Johnson. “The members of the Kenner City Council made the right decision when they chose to help protect the community from the well-documented, dangerous secondary effects of SOBs, which include violent and sexual crimes.”

On Wednesday, a federal court ruled in favor of a Christian man threatened with arrest for sharing a religious message outside a restaurant with a bar in the town of Zachary.

“By allowing the previously-issued same-sex ‘marriage’ licenses to remain valid, the court is perpetuating the problem that it itself created. And it’s doing this despite the clear vote of the people . . . . ” Nimocks said.

ADF President Alan Sears: “If confirmed, we pray that Judge Sotomayor will heed the magnitude of Jefferson’s concern and respect the limits of her judicial office, ruling according to the Constitution, and not legislating from the bench.”

Lemly informed hospital staff that she objected to administering the “morning after” abortion pill because of her religious beliefs. In response, St. Tammany Parish Hospital fired Lemly . . .

Attorneys with the Alliance Defense Fund filed a friend-of-the-court brief Tuesday with the U.S. Supreme Court in Choose Life Illinois v. White. The brief asks the court to review an appellate court’s decision denying Choose Life Illinois’ members the right to produce a specialty license plate with the slogan “Choose Life,” as part of a state program, because the words had been deemed too “controversial.”

“Pulpit Freedom” debate with Barry Lynn, Americans United for Separation of Church and State; Professor Donald Tobin, Ohio State University Moritz College of Law; and Professor Douglas Laycock, University of Michigan School of Law

The two parents were convicted under German law when they chose to educate their child at home on the subject of sexuality rather than allow her to participate in a four-day “sexual education” course . . . in conflict with the family’s Christian faith.

“The governor is right to recognize the threat to religious liberty, but he underestimates the threat by a long shot. Where are the protections for business owners with religious objections to recognizing same-sex ‘marriages’?

“City officials have no right to threaten and arrest citizens for exercising their First Amendment rights in public, especially on the pretext of revised codes that have already been ruled unconstitutional.”

ADF attorneys argue that Arizona’s tuition tax credit program is fully consistent with the Constitution because individual, private choices–not government action–cause money to flow to the schools.

Alliance Defense Fund attorneys filed suit in federal court Wednesday against a radical anarchist group that openly advocates the use of riots and crime to further its views in favor of homosexual behavior.

“Christians are not required to request permission from the government before exercising their First Amendment rights. We are pleased that Norfolk officials have agreed to respect the constitutional rights of Christians citizens . . . ”

“It’s unbelievable that the National Park Service would deny freedom of speech at our national parks, especially at the foot of Mt. Rushmore, where four men who represent America’s freedoms are immortalized.”

ADF Senior Legal Counsel David Cortman: “The so-called ‘separation of church and state’ does not permit school officials to silence students who wish to advertise or observe the National Day of Prayer.”

“Zoning restrictions should not be designed by a city to discriminate against churches,” said ADF Senior Legal Counsel David Cortman, who is serving as local counsel in the case.

. . . ” this lawsuit begs the court to nullify the voices of more than 7 million California voters, as well as put an end to the federal law on marriage. We are pleased to be able to represent ProtectMarriage.com”

An ADF-allied attorney sent a letter Thursday to City of Cleveland Law Director Robert J. Triozzi, asking him to stop the city’s newly enacted “domestic partnership registry,” which violates the Ohio Constitution.

An Alliance Defense Fund attorney along with other team members will be volunteering in their personal capacity to participate Thursday in a “prayer flight” over the greater Phoenix area and the Arizona state capitol to commemorate the National Day of Prayer.

The Boy Scouts of America spent millions of dollars to improve portions of two public parks that it leased from the city for a nominal fee . . . yet two couples filed suit simply because they didn’t like the beliefs of the Scouts organization.

CBR Europe, represented by attorney Dr. Alan Bohm and Alliance Defense Fund attorneys, held its “Stop Genocide” rally to inform people about the atrocities of genocide, including abortion, but Slovak police asserted the signs displayed by participants were too graphic for the general public.

ADF-allied attorney Michael DePrimo will be available for media interviews immediately following oral argument Tuesday before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit in McCullen v. Coakley. DePrimo will be arguing on behalf of several pro-life advocates against a Massachusetts law that creates a 35-foot “buffer zone” restricting pro-life advocates from talking with people entering abortion clinics.

“A federal court Friday suspended a policy used by Wilson County Schools officials to censor ‘In God We Trust’ and other phrases referencing God and prayer on posters in the hallways of Lakeview Elementary School.”

If it becomes law, ADF attorneys say the bill could severely impede Americans’ constitutional rights to freedom of religion and freedom of expression while creating additional legal protections for those engaged in homosexual behavior that are not available to everyone else.

Alliance Defense Fund attorneys have offered to defend the Orange County Board of Supervisors pro bono in the event it faces any threats of legal action by Planned Parenthood or similar pro-abortion groups over a new policy the board passed Tuesday restricting certain county funds from being used for abortions.

The U.S. Supreme Court Tuesday upheld the Federal Communications Commission’s censure of indecent language broadcast during televised broadcasts of the Billboard Music Awards on the Fox network.

Alliance Defense Fund attorneys and allied attorneys represent Edward Snell and John McTernan, who were arrested and threatened with arrest, respectively, for exercising their First Amendment rights in a public alley next to a Planned Parenthood abortion clinic.

“Doctors are licensed to heal, not to kill. It should seem obvious, but the law should never allow private individuals to poison one another,” said ADF Senior Legal Counsel Steven H. Aden.

“Alliance Defense Fund Litigation Staff Counsel Heather Gebelin Hacker will be available for media interviews Wednesday following her arguments in the lawsuit Sheeran v. Shea. ADF attorneys filed a lawsuit last month against Community Colleges of Spokane and Spokane Falls Community College officials for unconstitutionally attempting to silence the pro-life message of a student group.”

Alliance Defense Fund attorneys filed a lawsuit Thursday on behalf of St. Faustina Old Catholic Church against the city of Pensacola after a police officer ordered the church’s pastor to cease holding picnics at a popular historic public park downtown.

A letter issued by the Alliance Defense Fund and the Iowa Family Policy Center Wednesday offers free legal defense by ADF attorneys to county recorder offices that adopt a policy protecting employee rights of conscience.

http://www.alliancedefensefund.org/news/story.aspx?cid=4918 ALLIANCE DEFENSE FUND MEDIA ADVISORY April 22, 2009 – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT ADF MEDIA RELATIONS: (480) 444-0020 or www.telladf.org/pressroom ADF attorney to testify before NH Senate against ‘gender identity’ bill H.B. 415 will put citizens at risk WHO: …

“McCaleb explained that scholarship tuition organizations that fund only religious schools do not violate the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment because they are private organizations that do not distribute any government money.”