Tag Archives: State: New York

Human Events: “The huge flaw in Mayor Bloomberg’s reasoning is that this is clearly private religious speech,” Jordan Lorence told HUMAN EVENTS. “Government accommodation of private religious speech is not government endorsement of that speech. When the Pope holds Mass in Central Park, it does not mean NYC endorses Catholicism. NYC does not show neutrality toward religion by treating religion worse than other community groups.”

WGRZ.com: About 2,400 same-sex couples were married outside New York City since the state’s same-sex marriage law took effect in July, about 7 percent of the total number of weddings, the state Health Department said Wednesday.

Queens Chronicle: Nicole Phillips and Fabian Mendoza-Vaca have filed lawsuits claiming that their schools are depriving their children of a free education and discriminating against their religious beliefs.

HSLDA: Jesse Furman, a lawyer with a proven track record of anti-Christian bigotry and judicial activism, has been nominated to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. A vote is scheduled in the Senate Friday, February

Alliance Defense Fund attorneys have won a court order that allows churches to continue meeting for worship services in New York City public schools for the time being.

OneNewsNow.com: As New York lawmakers consider the bill that would reverse the city’s decision, the Alliance Defense Fund has requested a temporary federal injunction to buy time until the bill can be considered.

Gay City News: Jordan Lorence, the combative ADF senior counsel who lost the Bronx case — and is active in the group’s other anti-gay litigation around the country — insisted that of the top 50 school districts in the country, only New York bars worship services in schools. “Nothing in the Constitution prohibits it,” he testified. “Can’t explain why the Supreme Court declined to hear the case.” . . .

Christian Post: “I think there is a good likelihood that the Judge is going to issue an injunction,” Jordan Lorence, the lead counsel for ADF, told The Christian Post over the phone. “We don’t know for sure but we were optimistic by how things went and we may see churches be able to meet in the public schools from Feb. 13 and onward.”

Norwood News: But lawyers with the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) filed a lawsuit earlier this month that seeks an injunction against the ban, which the ADF, religious leaders and some Bronx elected officials are calling discriminatory and unconstitutional.

OneNewsNow.com: ADF senior counsel Jordan Lorance says it is a multi-front approach to reverse the policy (listen to audio report). “The legislature could repeal it, the mayor could repeal it, or a court could enjoin it,” he explains. “They could stop the court case tomorrow if they change the policy.”

Baptist Press: New York’s ban on churches meeting in public schools, which went into effect Feb. 12, is about “far more than meeting space,” according to a Southern Baptist pastor in the area who believes broader religious freedom is at stake.

Norwood News: he injunction was filed by the Alliance Defense Fund, which has legally backed Bronx Household’s efforts to use school space since it first challenged the DOE’s policy in 1994. “Churches and other religious groups should be able to meet in public buildings on the same terms as other community groups,” said ADF lawyer Jordan Lorence in a statement. “A government can’t solve the supposed problem of appearing as though it is endorsing religion by treating churches worse than everybody else. The city’s policy prohibits activity for religious reasons, and that is both unconstitutional and at odds with a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision in a different case.”

Yahoo! News (includes video): Having essentially exhausted their efforts in the courts (although Jordan Lorence of the Alliance Defense Fund has filed for a new injunction against the policy and may appear in federal court on Tuesday), churches and activists are working with city and state lawmakers to try and overturn the ban. Last Monday, the New York State Senate passed a bill that would rectify the situation.

OneNewsNow.com: Lorance says Speaker Sheldon Silver’s worry that a reversal would open the schools to everyone, even the Ku Klux Klan, is a weak argument. “But I think that that kind of phantom fear is not the reason to deny religious liberty of [more than] 60 actual churches that are meeting in the schools,” says the attorney. “Freedom of speech means that you allow people who you don’t agree with to have their say.”

NY Daily News: Alliance Defense Fund lawyer Jordan Lorence, who represents the Bronx Household of Faith, called on Silver and the Assembly to act immediately, branding the decision to delay “misinformed.” “There is absolutely no reason for the Assembly to wait,” Lorence said. “We’re saying that the policy is unconstitutional and the Legislature is absolutely free to change the policy.”

FRC Washington Update: With the Alliance Defense Fund’s (ADF) help, they may get their wish. Tomorrow, ADF’s Jordan Lorence will be reopening the case against the city’s Department of Education by filing a preliminary injunction that would let churches continue worshiping in classrooms. “This is not over,” he told the Wall Street Journal.

Alliance Defense Fund Senior Counsel Jordan Lorence will be available for media interviews immediately following a hearing Tuesday on whether a federal court should issue an order to stop the eviction of worship services from New York City’s public schools.

WSJ.com: Jordan Lorence, an attorney representing the Bronx Household of Faith, said New York is out of step with other large U.S. school districts. Mr. Lorence has filed for a new injunction against the policy and expects to appear in federal court Tuesday. “This is not over,” said Mr. Lorence, of the Alliance Defense Fund, a network of Christian attorneys.

Christian Post: “The Supreme Court has addressed this issue at least five times since 1981,” Lorence explains on ADF’s “Speak Up” website. “When the government opens a building for expression by private groups, it cannot deny access to religious groups. The Supreme Court has explicitly rejected the Establishment Clause as a reason justifying this kind of exclusion, because these are private religious speakers, not endorsed by the government. Government accommodation of private speakers does not mean the government endorses their messages.”

WSJ.com: “These churches are running into the harsh reality that in New York City, it is difficult to find reasonably priced facilities,” said Jordan Lorence, an attorney who argued the churches’ side in the court case. “They are very expensive in Midtown, or they’re nonexistent in some of the poorer areas of town, where the churches do their work.”

DNAinfo.com: After that injunction was thrown out last June, the Alliance Defense Fund, a Christian religious liberties organization, filed an appeal with the U.S. Supreme Court, which declined on Dec. 5 to review the case. That left the Bronx Household of Faith and other churches that met in schools with an eviction date of Feb. 12.

Joseph Berger at the NYTimes.com: Although Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan of New York has been leading the national fight against requiring Roman Catholic hospitals, universities and charities to cover birth control in their health insurance plans for employees and students, some Catholic institutions in his own diocese and others throughout New York State have for 10 years been complying with state law mandating precisely that coverage.

Jason Mattera at Human Events: Such a ruling adheres to an “extreme version of the establishment clause and separation of church and state,” Jordan Lorence, a senior counsel with the Alliance Defense Fund, the legal firm representing the local churches, told HUMAN EVENTS. “It’s hard for the bureaucrats and judges to grasp the difference between government sponsored religion and government accommodating everybody to use an empty building.”

Baptist Press: With a weekend deadline approaching when churches will no longer be allowed to meet in public schools, the New York State Senate overwhelmingly approved a bill that would allow worship services to continue.

Religion Clause: Today’s New York Daily News reports that two parents are suing school officials over decisions by two principals to send unvaccinated children home when other students at their schools contracted communicable diseases.

Findlaw: Even so, administrators at City University of New York Law School think some of their graduating 3Ls should. Those students are being offered an additional semester of “intensive, structured, Bar-oriented coursework” — for free!

ADF President and General Counsel Alan E. Sears appeared on Truth that Transforms. | MP3 audio 24:23 mins

WORLD New York: Jordan Lorence of the Alliance Defense Fund told the Council that no other city has had a ban and so far, none has been sued for violating the First Amendment. Up until now, the primary rhetoric in favor of the ban centered on protecting the minds of impressionable youth. But today’s hearing revealed deeper concerns and a fundamental anti-Christian bias.

OneNewsNow.com (2/2): “I would … urge people to realize that Mayor Bloomberg needs to know that the whole nation is watching him and that he’s not doing this in isolation or in private,” Lorence notes. “And so I would urge people to write letters or e-mails to Michael Bloomberg, City Hall, New York, New York — that’s all the address you would need.” [more]

Baptist Press: When I was in New York City last weekend, I learned about a huge inconsistent way that the city’s public schools treat churches: Churches may not meet in public schools, but public schools can meet in churches.

NY Daily News: In fact, if the city’s existing arguments against the churches weren’t dumb enough, Walcott just added another. He cited the involvement of a right-wing Arizona group fighting for equal access for churches — telling the Daily News that the Alliance Defense Fund is “not what we’re about as far as equal rights and equal opportunity.” Need we remind the schools chancellor that the mere fact that a conservative group defends a principle doesn’t mean that the principle isn’t worth defending?

New York Daily News: Jordan Lorence, a senior attorney with the ADF, said the city’s policy was “strikingly abhorrent” because other community groups are allowed to use school buildings for non-religious purposes. “They are leading a one school district parade with their selective exclusion of worship services,” Lorence said.

LifeNews.com: ADF Legal Counsel Matt Bowman commented on the law and the lawsuit in remarks to LifeNews.com. “Pro-life pregnancy centers, which freely offer real help and hope to women and their preborn children, shouldn’t be punished by political allies of those who make their money aborting babies,” he said. “This order keeps the city from enforcing a law that is specifically designed to deter pregnant women from receiving the help they need to make fully informed choices about their pregnancy while this lawsuit goes forward. The order also means that the court is likely to find the ordinance unconstitutional.” Bowman noted the court was also critical of the New York Civil Liberties Union’s defense of the city ordinance: “Given the New York Civil Liberties Union’s (“NYCLU”) usual concern for First Amendment rights, its amicus brief supporting Defendant’s expansive view of the commercial speech doctrine is puzzling.”

Jordan Lorence at the Speak Up Movement Church Blog: Thousands of Christians, pastors, other people of faith joined together Sunday afternoon to walk across the Brooklyn Bridge to express their opposition to Mayor Bloomberg’s plans to evict the churches meeting in the public schools after February 12.

AMNY.com: Hundreds of protesters marched across the Brooklyn Bridge yesterday against an upcoming citywide ban that prevents religious groups from renting space in public schools for worship.

ADF Attorney Jordan Lorence appeared on the Janet Mefferd Show last week to discuss the situation. | MP3 audio 12:51 mins

Pastor Bill Devlin appeared WHCR 90.3FM. | MP3 audio 23:04 mins

NYTimes.com: But asked on Thursday whether he was satisfied with the approach taken by Mr. Christie, a Republican, Mr. Cuomo, a Democrat, did not seem to want to get involved.

NYTimes.com: Sure, being the top judge of the appeals court in Brooklyn is impressive. It is one of the most powerful judicial seats in the state.

PhillyBurbs.com: Jordan Lorence of the Alliance Defense Fund, the legal advocacy group assisting NYC churches, said “They can’t use the Bronx Household case as some kind of all-purpose permission slip to banish private worship services from every public venue. Churches and other religious groups should be able to meet in public buildings on the same terms as other community groups,” argued Lorence. “These churches offer the people in hurting communities hope and help for their daily needs. To drive out the churches based on a discredited, extreme notion of ‘separation of church and state’ benefits no one and harms people who need help most.” This statement makes good sense. However, do you really think the liberal elites would be satisfied removing “just one church” from using public building?

ACLJ Attorney David French at National Review Online: Even worse, at the same time that the mayor declared that “no neighborhood” in New York was “off-limits to God’s love and mercy,” he was enforcing a unique-in-the-nation policy that in fact declared New York City schools “off-limits” to private religious use that includes worship. My friend, the Alliance Defense Fund’s Jordan Lorence, explained the problem in yesterday’s New York Post:

Urban Faith: Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) senior counsel Jordan Lorence told members of the media that New York City’s policy has been in place for 30-40 years, but that a 2002 federal injunction against The Bronx Household of Faith put other houses of worship at risk. (In that case, Bronx Household of Faith was represented by ADF.) “It’s not required for the school district to keep it. They can get rid of the policy,” he said. “The mayor can do that. The state legislature can do that.” “Of the largest 50 school districts in the country in terms of student population, only New York City has a policy banning worship services on the weekends or weeknights in the public schools,” said Lorence.

ADF Attorney Jordan Lorence at the NY Post: Come Feb. 12, Mayor Bloomberg and the city Department of Education are set to ban religious groups from off-hour use of public schools for worship services. This contradicts New York City’s commitment to diversity, freedom of expression and accommodation of diverse religious beliefs — and there’s still time to reverse course.

New York Daily News: Democrats said a resolution submitted late last week by Queens Sen. Toby Ann Stavisky (pictured right) seeking to proclaim next week “Reproductive Rights and Justice Week” was scrubbed by Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos’ office to take out any mention of abortion, family planning and reproductive rights.

Christian Concern: Jordan Lorence, of the Alliance Defense Fund, said:
“Churches and other religious groups should be able to meet in public buildings on the same terms as any other community group. “To drive out the churches based on a discredited, extreme notion of ‘separation of church and state’ benefits no one and harms people who need help most.”

ADF Attorney Jordan Lorence at the Speak UP Movement Church Blog: No other major school district in the U.S. prohibits religious groups from renting school buildings for worship services, except New York City. That is the conclusion of a memo that ADF wrote . . .

NYTimes.com: Gay rights advocates from Wall Street to Hollywood poured donations into the coffers of four little-known Republican state senators after the lawmakers provided the decisive votes for same-sex marriage in New York last June, according to new campaign finance filings released on Tuesday.

LifeNews.com: A new newspaper report that further investigates the actions of abortion practitioner Steven Chase Brigham finds a Democratic New York State attorney general refused to follow up on grisly discoveries investigators found.

MyFoxNY.com (includes video): Some orthodox Jewish congregations also meet in the city’s schools for meetings on certain Jewish holidays and are also affected by the ruling, according to the Alliance Defense Fund.

Discriminatory policies will eject churches from communities citywide
by Feb. 12, growing coalition continues protests

Information here on Facebook.

Speak Up Movement Church Blog: In the first big victory for equal access in New York City this year, the NYC Housing Authority on Friday relented of its efforts to evict the churches meeting for worship services at the community centers of the public housing projects.

Findlaw: Can you fire a pregnant waitress? Or any other pregnant employee? Josie Muriel says you can’t, which is why she is suing Larry Flynt’s New York Hustler Club for sex and gender discrimination

ADF Attorney Jordan Lorence appeared on the Jason Mattera Show to discuss the situation. | MP3 audio 20:29 mins

Christian News Today: “Moments after they were released, Devlin and Alliance Defense Fund attorney Jordan Lorence met me at Ace Hotel in midtown Manhattan,” she wrote. “When I asked Devlin what he thought about getting arrested, he grinned and said, ‘It’s my 28th arrest since I’ve been saved.’ It probably won’t be his last: Devlin plans to be out there protesting again next week and wants more pastors to join him. “Devlin, pastor of Manhattan Bible Church, said the ban assaults freedom of religion and speech. Lorence added that the case is based on a fundamental misinterpretation of the Constitution: He argues that forbidding private speech because it’s religious is not protecting the separation of church and state, but instead is suppressing freedom of religion and freedom of speech.”

Speak Up Movement Church Blog: New York City pastors are leading a growing movement opposing the New York City Department of Education’s policy banning worship services conducted by religious groups.

Times Union – Class is over for Planned Parenthood: In October, a small group of parents raised objections after they learned some students were allegedly told that abstinence allowed for oral sex and that some high school classes had condom demonstrations.

LifeNews.com: The New York City-based Chiaroscuro Foundation, a not-for-profit organization that supports alternatives to abortion, released the figures to LifeNews after the 2010 data was just released to the public by the New York City Department of Health.

Tiffany Owens at World Magazine: Lorence said the ban reflects an irrational and anti-religion sentiment in New York, one that portrays religion as “dangerous and something that must be kept entirely out of the public square.” He added that the ban suggests that churches and religious groups are “piranhas and parasites,” even though they often house community-friendly ministries to the poor. “Our city is trying to do away with faith,” Lorence said. “We can tolerate everybody but religious viewpoints. That’s pretty scary.”

Todd Starnes of Fox News at Baptist Press: “It does present a very ugly picture of the state of religious liberties in New York City,” said Jordan Lorence, senior counsel with the Alliance Defense Fund. “It’s the height of irony that the housing authority would violate the First Amendment at a place named after a Supreme Court justice.”

Norwood News: Bronx Councilman Fernando Cabrera was arrested this morning along with six other pastors while protesting a city policy that they say is now excluded religious groups from worshiping inside city-run buildings.

LifeSiteNews.com: Charges were dropped today against a New York woman who was accused by police last November of self-abortion in the first degree.

CBN: “I think this is a dark turn against religious liberty if the Bronx Household of Faith decision is being viewed as some sort of all-purpose permission slip from the courts to single out religious worship and exclude it from public buildings,” said Jordan Lorence, an attorney with the Alliance Defense Fund.

Baptist Press: Jordan Lorence, an attorney with the Alliance Defense Fund organization that fought the city rule in court, said churches in other cities that meet in school buildings should not necessarily be concerned. New York City, he said, is the only city among the Top 50 U.S. school districts with such a law. “The Supreme Court has not repudiated its earlier decisions supporting the First Amendment rights of religious groups to meet in public buildings on the same terms as other community groups,” Lorence wrote in an analysis piece. “What the Supreme Court did Dec. 5 is decline to review the Bronx Household of Faith decision. Although this was very disappointing, the court’s action did not affirm the lower court ruling, or repudiate any of its earlier opinions supporting equal access for religious groups. Equal access is still the law of the land, according to the Supreme Court.”

ACLU: The New York Civil Liberties Union today wrote to New York City officials and Brookfield Properties asking them to accommodate a Christmas prayer vigil at Zuccotti Park.

Reuters: As reproductive rights advocates regroup after a U.S. directive denying girls under 17 over-the-counter access to the morning-after pill, their best legal recourse may lie in a dormant 6-year-old lawsuit in federal court in Brooklyn, New York.

Michele Somerville at the Huffington Post: One big problem with the Supreme Court’s decision not to hear the Bronx Household of Faith Case is that case is that now, under New York law, it will fall to the DOE to decide which programs can rent space in schools. Anyone who thinks that the DOE can be trusted to rise to the occasion of such nuanced philosophical decision-making doesn’t know very much about the DOE.

NCRegister.com: Bridgette Dunlap says she expected Fordham University to provide students with “standard health care.”

Jordan Lorence at Baptist Press: Churches meeting in public schools should not be apprehensive because of the recent action of the Supreme Court not to review a federal appeals court decision upholding New York City’s ban on private worship services in the public schools.

ADF Attorney David Cortman appeared on the Zeb Bell Show. | MP3 audio 16:51 mins

News from The Associated Press: A federal judge in Brooklyn is poised to hear arguments Tuesday over whether the federal government is acting constitutionally in its decisions over the access teenage girls are given to morning-after contraceptive pills.

ADF Attorney Jordan Lorence at Speak Up Movement Church Blog: Pastor John Starke of All Souls Church has written an excellent blog post describing how his church that meets in a public school on the Upper West Side will be affected if they are forced to move out February 12 after the Supreme Court declined to review the Bronx Household of Faith case.

Engage Family Minute: Jordan Lorence, senior vice-president with the Alliance Defense Fund, has been the chief litigator on this case. Jordan wrote an instructive blog post on the topic (copied below), but also took the time to join me for a brief discussion over the phone. I hope you will listen to it – especially if you are a pastor or elder committed to planting churches in West Virginia – and share it with your friends. [audio at the link]