http://www.alliancealert.org news from the frontlines of the culture war Thu, 24 May 2012 23:12:00 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.3 http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/04/04/joel-oster-on-wallbuilders-live-threatened-with-jail-for-opposing-politicians-in-el-paso/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/04/04/joel-oster-on-wallbuilders-live-threatened-with-jail-for-opposing-politicians-in-el-paso/#comments Wed, 04 Apr 2012 16:54:24 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=130398 Joel Oster appeared on Wallbuilders Live to discuss this. | MP3 audio 9:44 mins ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/04/04/joel-oster-on-wallbuilders-live-threatened-with-jail-for-opposing-politicians-in-el-paso/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/04/03/alan-e-sears-el-paso-city-leaders-declare-war-on-civil-liberties-of-christians/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/04/03/alan-e-sears-el-paso-city-leaders-declare-war-on-civil-liberties-of-christians/#comments Tue, 03 Apr 2012 19:07:05 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=130301 Alan E. Sears at the ADF Blog: The penalty for opposing the policies of El Paso mayor John Cook are getting stiffer – maybe as stiff as “sign a petition, go to jail.” ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/04/03/alan-e-sears-el-paso-city-leaders-declare-war-on-civil-liberties-of-christians/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/03/26/joel-oster-el-paso-mayor-to-indict-voters-who-dont-support-his-agenda/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/03/26/joel-oster-el-paso-mayor-to-indict-voters-who-dont-support-his-agenda/#comments Mon, 26 Mar 2012 16:58:57 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=129547 Townhall: In El Paso, Texas, Democrat Mayor John Cook is literally doing whatever he can to cram his political preferences down the throats of El Pasoans who voted against him. ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/03/26/joel-oster-el-paso-mayor-to-indict-voters-who-dont-support-his-agenda/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/03/23/adf-comment-on-developments-in-el-paso-recall-election-case-at-tx-supreme-court/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/03/23/adf-comment-on-developments-in-el-paso-recall-election-case-at-tx-supreme-court/#comments Fri, 23 Mar 2012 17:47:35 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=129402 ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/03/23/adf-comment-on-developments-in-el-paso-recall-election-case-at-tx-supreme-court/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/03/23/joel-oster-on-the-janet-mefferd-show-what-is-going-on-in-el-paso-texas/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/03/23/joel-oster-on-the-janet-mefferd-show-what-is-going-on-in-el-paso-texas/#comments Fri, 23 Mar 2012 16:47:30 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=129386 Joel Oster appeared on the Janet Mefferd Show to discuss this: Hundreds of Christians face jail time in El Paso. | MP3 audio 13:46 mins ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/03/23/joel-oster-on-the-janet-mefferd-show-what-is-going-on-in-el-paso-texas/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/03/21/joel-oster-on-washington-watch-with-tony-perkins-hundreds-of-christians-face-jail-time-in-el-paso/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/03/21/joel-oster-on-washington-watch-with-tony-perkins-hundreds-of-christians-face-jail-time-in-el-paso/#comments Wed, 21 Mar 2012 15:46:09 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=129249 Joel Oster on Washington Watch with Tony Perkins to discuss this: ADF: Hundreds of Christians face jail time in El Paso. | MP3 audio 11:54 mins ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/03/21/joel-oster-on-washington-watch-with-tony-perkins-hundreds-of-christians-face-jail-time-in-el-paso/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/03/13/appeal-filed-to-defend-texans%e2%80%99-right-to-speak-about-recall-election-james-madison-ctr-for-free-speech/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/03/13/appeal-filed-to-defend-texans%e2%80%99-right-to-speak-about-recall-election-james-madison-ctr-for-free-speech/#comments Tue, 13 Mar 2012 15:18:15 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=128401 ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/03/13/appeal-filed-to-defend-texans%e2%80%99-right-to-speak-about-recall-election-james-madison-ctr-for-free-speech/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/03/12/el-paso-christians-facing-jail-time-one-news-now/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/03/12/el-paso-christians-facing-jail-time-one-news-now/#comments Mon, 12 Mar 2012 16:30:10 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=128251 One News Now: "We have more than 250 signed affidavits from local citizens there in El Paso who are terrified that they may go to jail simply for engaging in legitimate political and free-speech efforts," Oster reports. "The mayor can't be allowed to put his opponents in jail just because he doesn't like [that] they participated in a valid effort he doesn't favor." ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/03/12/el-paso-christians-facing-jail-time-one-news-now/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/03/12/el-paso-texas-trying-to-silence-christians-opposing-views/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/03/12/el-paso-texas-trying-to-silence-christians-opposing-views/#comments Mon, 12 Mar 2012 16:20:09 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=128243 Opposing Views by FRC: According to Attorney Joel Oster, ADF has "more than 250 signed affidavits from local citizens who are terrified that they may go to jail for their legitimate political and free speech efforts.""This is America," Oster said, "and the mayor can't be allowed to put his opponents in jail just because he doesn't like the fact that they participated in a valid effort that he doesn't favor." ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/03/12/el-paso-texas-trying-to-silence-christians-opposing-views/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/03/12/christians-who-signed-petitions-investigated-wnd/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/03/12/christians-who-signed-petitions-investigated-wnd/#comments Mon, 12 Mar 2012 16:16:12 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=128238 WorldNetDaily (includes video): “El Paso citizens should not live in fear of being arrested and jailed for exercising their constitutionally protected right to free speech,” said ADF Senior Legal Counsel Joel Oster, who argued before the appeals court on Jan. 24 in Cook v. Tom Brown Ministries. “We have more than 250 signed affidavits from local citizens who are terrified that they may go to jail for their legitimate political and free speech efforts. This is America, and the mayor can’t be allowed to put his opponents in jail just because he doesn’t like the fact that they participated in a valid effort that he doesn’t favor,” said Oster. ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/03/12/christians-who-signed-petitions-investigated-wnd/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/03/12/a-cure-for-what-jails-you-frc/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/03/12/a-cure-for-what-jails-you-frc/#comments Mon, 12 Mar 2012 15:38:18 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=128214 FRC Washington Update: According to Attorney Joel Oster, ADF has "more than 250 signed affidavits from local citizens who are terrified that they may go to jail for their legitimate political and free speech efforts." "This is America," Oster said, "and the mayor can't be allowed to put his opponents in jail just because he doesn't like the fact that they participated in a valid effort that he doesn't favor." ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/03/12/a-cure-for-what-jails-you-frc/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/03/08/adf-hundreds-of-christians-face-jail-time-in-el-paso/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/03/08/adf-hundreds-of-christians-face-jail-time-in-el-paso/#comments Thu, 08 Mar 2012 19:00:54 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=128052 ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/03/08/adf-hundreds-of-christians-face-jail-time-in-el-paso/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/02/28/tx-court-churches-cant-petition-government-one-news-now/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/02/28/tx-court-churches-cant-petition-government-one-news-now/#comments Tue, 28 Feb 2012 17:58:44 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=127092 One News Now: "The appeals court in Texas has stopped the recall election because one of the supporters of the recall election was supposedly a church, and according to the Texas appeals court, a church cannot be involved in a recall election," reports Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) attorney Joel Oster ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/02/28/tx-court-churches-cant-petition-government-one-news-now/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/02/09/tx-el-paso-mayor-fighting-ouster-on-gay-rights-vote-counts-rising-legal-bill/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/02/09/tx-el-paso-mayor-fighting-ouster-on-gay-rights-vote-counts-rising-legal-bill/#comments Thu, 09 Feb 2012 11:22:11 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=125159 Bloomberg: This is a blatant matter of abusing the rights of church officials to be involved in local affairs,” said Joel Oster, a lawyer in Kansas for the Alliance Defense Fund, a Scottsdale, Arizona-based group that represents religious organizations. “We are excited about this case because of the precedent that could be established.” ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/02/09/tx-el-paso-mayor-fighting-ouster-on-gay-rights-vote-counts-rising-legal-bill/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/01/27/tx-mayor-challenging-recall-effort-onenewsnow-com/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/01/27/tx-mayor-challenging-recall-effort-onenewsnow-com/#comments Fri, 27 Jan 2012 11:39:21 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=124223 OneNewsNow.com: Alliance Defense Fund attorney Joel Oster was back in court this week to take on the cited law. "The appeals court in Texas heard our case about whether or not a church can speak out on local political matters. The case went really well," he accounts. "The argument was well presented, and the court, I believe, understands that even a church has free-speech rights and has a right to petition their government for the redress of grievances." ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/01/27/tx-mayor-challenging-recall-effort-onenewsnow-com/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/01/23/will-el-paso-citizens%e2%80%99-call-for-mayor%e2%80%99s-recall-stand/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/01/23/will-el-paso-citizens%e2%80%99-call-for-mayor%e2%80%99s-recall-stand/#comments Mon, 23 Jan 2012 14:57:40 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=123797 ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/01/23/will-el-paso-citizens%e2%80%99-call-for-mayor%e2%80%99s-recall-stand/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/12/15/recall-judge-allows-smoking-gun-document-on-the-record/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/12/15/recall-judge-allows-smoking-gun-document-on-the-record/#comments Thu, 15 Dec 2011 11:07:50 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=120951 KIVA.com ABC 7: Brown's lawyers said there's a more practical explanation. "It was late in the day (when we got the subpoena), and it said that we had to produce all of these documents the very next morning. This is like an 18-paragraph request for documents. There was not enough time to file all of these documents, so we filed a motion for a protective order. Under Texas law, when you file a protective order, you don't have to produce the documents unless the court says you have to produce the documents. Once the court said to produce the documents, we produced the documents. Where's the controversy?" said Brown's Alliance Defense Fund lawyer, Joel Oster. ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/12/15/recall-judge-allows-smoking-gun-document-on-the-record/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/12/13/el-paso-city-council-recall-smoking-gun-document-surfaces-after-hearings-end-el-paso-times/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/12/13/el-paso-city-council-recall-smoking-gun-document-surfaces-after-hearings-end-el-paso-times/#comments Tue, 13 Dec 2011 12:16:08 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=120703 El Paso Times: Brown's attorney, Joel Oster, said the document released by Walker on Monday is unimportant, calling it "a non-issue." . . . But Oster, one of Brown's attorneys, downplayed the document's significance. "The minutes that you refer to are a non-issue," Oster said in an email. "They were properly given to the other side pursuant to the subpoena and the court's instructions. They don't state that the church itself was involved. "In any event, the court already stated that it believes that the church circulated the petitions. ... What the court held, however, was that First Amendment rights were at stake and it would not stop the election." ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/12/13/el-paso-city-council-recall-smoking-gun-document-surfaces-after-hearings-end-el-paso-times/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/12/13/texas-showdown-first-amendment-case-could-end-up-in-high-court/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/12/13/texas-showdown-first-amendment-case-could-end-up-in-high-court/#comments Tue, 13 Dec 2011 12:09:30 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=120698 NC Register: The Alliance Defense Fund and two local pro-bono attorneys are aiding petitioners. “We’re defending the church’s right to be fully engaged in the culture,” said ADF senior legal counsel Joel Oster. “Christians and their institutions are not second-class citizens who are banned from the democratic process.” ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/12/13/texas-showdown-first-amendment-case-could-end-up-in-high-court/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/12/02/joel-oster-on-pratt-on-texas-el-paso-churches-bullied-for-participating-in-democracy/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/12/02/joel-oster-on-pratt-on-texas-el-paso-churches-bullied-for-participating-in-democracy/#comments Fri, 02 Dec 2011 11:24:34 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=119826 http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/12/02/joel-oster-on-pratt-on-texas-el-paso-churches-bullied-for-participating-in-democracy/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/12/01/joel-oster-on-the-bott-radio-network-suit-against-el-paso-churches-for-recall-election/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/12/01/joel-oster-on-the-bott-radio-network-suit-against-el-paso-churches-for-recall-election/#comments Thu, 01 Dec 2011 11:08:23 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=119736 Joel Oster appeared on the Bott Radio Network to discuss this case. | MP3 audio 22 mins ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/12/01/joel-oster-on-the-bott-radio-network-suit-against-el-paso-churches-for-recall-election/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/11/30/judge-nixes-el-paso-mayors-request-to-halt-recall-onenewsnow-com/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/11/30/judge-nixes-el-paso-mayors-request-to-halt-recall-onenewsnow-com/#comments Wed, 30 Nov 2011 09:07:30 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=119634 OneNewsNow.com: Mayor Cook challenged the recall effort, arguing that Brown violated state election law by using church resources to collect signatures for the recall petition. The Alliance Defense Fund is challenging the constitutionality of that law in federal court. ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/11/30/judge-nixes-el-paso-mayors-request-to-halt-recall-onenewsnow-com/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/11/28/adf-el-paso-mayor-fails-to-stop-recall-election-in-lawsuit-against-churches-others/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/11/28/adf-el-paso-mayor-fails-to-stop-recall-election-in-lawsuit-against-churches-others/#comments Mon, 28 Nov 2011 17:36:50 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=119616 ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/11/28/adf-el-paso-mayor-fails-to-stop-recall-election-in-lawsuit-against-churches-others/feed/ 1 http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/10/25/mayor-john-cook-and-city-council-recall-residents-plead-fifth-when-asked-about-church-ties-at-hearing/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/10/25/mayor-john-cook-and-city-council-recall-residents-plead-fifth-when-asked-about-church-ties-at-hearing/#comments Tue, 25 Oct 2011 11:05:32 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=116695 El Paso Times: Joel Oster, a lawyer for Brown and the recall group, said even if churches and their officers helped gather petitions, they didn't violate state law. He also said that if they did, that law is unconstitutional after a Supreme Court ruling last year that says the government can't limit some kinds of corporate political activities. [more] ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/10/25/mayor-john-cook-and-city-council-recall-residents-plead-fifth-when-asked-about-church-ties-at-hearing/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/10/21/adf-el-paso-mayor-on-witch-hunt-in-attempt-to-stop-recall-election/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/10/21/adf-el-paso-mayor-on-witch-hunt-in-attempt-to-stop-recall-election/#comments Fri, 21 Oct 2011 15:53:34 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=116614 ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/10/21/adf-el-paso-mayor-on-witch-hunt-in-attempt-to-stop-recall-election/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/10/13/recall-lawyer-churches-helped-circulate-petitions-against-el-paso-mayor-city-reps/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/10/13/recall-lawyer-churches-helped-circulate-petitions-against-el-paso-mayor-city-reps/#comments Thu, 13 Oct 2011 12:30:55 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=116034 El Paso Times: But the lawyer, Joel Oster, said that did not mean the group violated Texas election law. And even if they did, the law is unconstitutional, he said . . . "We will concede," said Oster, senior counsel with the Alliance Defense Fund, a national group dedicated to helping churches challenge legal limits to their political activity. "We admit that they had established in their petition clear and convincing evidence" of churches' participation. ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/10/13/recall-lawyer-churches-helped-circulate-petitions-against-el-paso-mayor-city-reps/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/10/13/i-team-origin-of-district-attorneys-investigation-into-tom-brown-revealed/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/10/13/i-team-origin-of-district-attorneys-investigation-into-tom-brown-revealed/#comments Thu, 13 Oct 2011 12:26:54 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=116030 KVIA El Paso: Brown has maintained he did not break the law. Joel Oster, Brown's newest attorney from the Alliance Defense Fund, argues that the Supreme Court decided that it is perfectly legal for the recall group to mount their campaign against Cook and the two city representatives because it falls under freedom of speech, even if that campaign was carried out through churches like Brown's ministry. Brown's attorneys also contend the election code itself is unconstitutional and should not be enforced. ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/10/13/i-team-origin-of-district-attorneys-investigation-into-tom-brown-revealed/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/10/12/legal-battles-continue-for-el-paso-mayor/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/10/12/legal-battles-continue-for-el-paso-mayor/#comments Wed, 12 Oct 2011 11:25:59 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=115896 KFOX El Paso: Oster said, "A pastor should not have to vet his sermons by Uncle Sam. When a pastor preaches his sermons he does not have to get approval from the government for what he says." ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/10/12/legal-battles-continue-for-el-paso-mayor/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/10/12/church-should-not-be-silenced/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/10/12/church-should-not-be-silenced/#comments Wed, 12 Oct 2011 10:56:22 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=115886 OneNewsNow.com: Joel Oster, an attorney with ADF, tells OneNewsNow the mayor wants Brown jailed. "And in this particular case the state law says that the church cannot circulate a petition for the recall of a candidate, and if a church speaks out against an elected official in that way they are subjected to criminal punishment," explains the attorney. "It almost makes you wonder if we're in Communist China and not the United States of America." ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/10/12/church-should-not-be-silenced/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/10/07/first-amendment-group-offers-free-legal-counsel-for-pastor-brown-ktsm-news-channel-9/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/10/07/first-amendment-group-offers-free-legal-counsel-for-pastor-brown-ktsm-news-channel-9/#comments Fri, 07 Oct 2011 10:51:55 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=115705 KTSM News Channel 9 (includes video): The law firm is called the Alliance Defense Fund. It’s a private organization that provides free legal service for people when they feel their first amendment right has been violated. Attorney Joel Oster based in Kansas City, MO will provide free legal counsel for Brown. ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/10/07/first-amendment-group-offers-free-legal-counsel-for-pastor-brown-ktsm-news-channel-9/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/10/07/adf-attorneys-defend-church%e2%80%99s-right-to-speak-out-for-el-paso-citizens/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/10/07/adf-attorneys-defend-church%e2%80%99s-right-to-speak-out-for-el-paso-citizens/#comments Fri, 07 Oct 2011 09:52:40 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=115678 ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/10/07/adf-attorneys-defend-church%e2%80%99s-right-to-speak-out-for-el-paso-citizens/feed/ 0