Tag Archives: Alliance Defending Freedom

NBC News reports: A new initiative backed by a coalition of right-wing organizations is courting lawmakers and parents in an effort to stop the passage of the Equality Act — a federal LGBTQ rights bill — and promote policies targeting transgender Americans at the federal and state levels. Backed by the Alliance Defending Freedom, Family Policy Alliance, Heritage Foundation and …

Peter Montgomery reports at Right Wing Watch: Michael Farris, who heads Alliance Defending Freedom, told participants in a Family Research Council town hall Feb. 10 that Virginia is in a “constitutional crisis” because nondiscrimination protections that became law last year in that state accomplished “virtually everything” that would be done at the federal level if the Equality Act passes. Farris …

Via press release from Alliance Defending Freedom: Our nation’s laws should respect the constitutionally guaranteed freedoms of every American citizen. All of us — regardless of sex or any other classification — deserve better than the profound inequality that the conscience-crushing, deceptively titled ‘Equality Act’ reintroduced by Congress today promises. This proposed legislation punishes and marginalizes people who hold decent …

The Tampa Bay Times reports: Jamie R. Grosshans, the last-minute choice of Gov. Ron DeSantis to the Florida Supreme Court, is an anti-abortion defender who has been active in a number of Christian legal groups, including a powerful national organization whose mission is to “spread the Gospel by transforming the legal system.” Grosshans, from the Orlando suburb of Winter Garden, …

The Christian Post reports: A federal judge in Kentucky has ruled that the city of Louisville cannot force a Christian photographer to work same-sex weddings because the “Constitution does not require a choice between gay rights and freedom of speech.” U.S. District Judge Justin R. Walker on Friday ruled that Chelsey Nelson, a wedding photographer and blogger who is a …

Just in from Alliance Defending Freedom: Kristi Stokes has always had a heart for service. It’s her way of glorifying God, and it is evident in every aspect of her life. For example, as a young adult Kristi taught and served as a missionary in Zimbabwe. She has also long worked with those facing homelessness in Cleveland and even held …

NBC News reports: A sharply divided U.S. Supreme Court denied a rural Nevada church’s request late Friday to strike down as unconstitutional a 50-person cap on worship services as part of the state’s ongoing response to the coronavirus. In a 5-4 decision, the high court refused to grant the request from the Christian church east of Reno to be subjected …

The Christian Post reports: An appeals court has revived a Christian adoption agency’s lawsuit against officials in New York state who are seeking to force the charity to place children with unmarried and same-sex couples instead of referring them to other providers. New Hope Family Services filed a lawsuit against state officials after it was told that its policy of …

The Christian Post reports: A professional photographer has filed a lawsuit against a new Virginia law that he says would force him to violate his sincerely held Christian beliefs by requiring him to provide his services to same-sex weddings. Chris Herring filed the lawsuit on Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, Norfolk Division, against …

Via press release from Alliance Defending Freedom: By ruling in the similar case decided today that “sex” in federal employment law also includes “sexual orientation,” the Court made it more difficult for employers and employees who hold the longstanding, honorable belief that marriage is only between one man and one woman. The ruling could prohibit a religious employer from declining …

Fox News reports: A federal court in Kansas issued a temporary restraining order Saturday against an executive order capping church gatherings at 10 people due to COVID-19, according to a local report. The move came a week after the Supreme Court of Kansas ruled in favor of Gov. Laura Kelly, a Democrat who saw her order overturned by a GOP-led …

The Louisville Courier-Journal reports: A Louisville photographer who opposes same-sex marriage has sued the city, saying the Fairness Ordinance violates her constitutional rights. The suit from Chelsey Nelson, owner of Chelsey Nelson Photography, names Louisville Metro Government and the Louisville Metro Human Relations Commission Enforcement among its defendants. Her attorneys include lawyers from Alliance Defending Freedom, a conservative Christian nonprofit …

“The Arizona decision is one of the strongest and most well-written decisions on free speech that I’ve seen in my career. In fact, the decision itself opens by saying that free speech and free exercise rights are not limited to the soft murmurings that go on in churches or private homes, but that all Americans have the right to be …

The Phoenix New Times reports: In a 4-3 opinion, The Arizona Supreme Court has ruled in favor of Phoenix-based Brush & Nib Studio, a small business that refused to produce wedding invitations for LGBTQ couples. The case pitted the business owners against the city of Phoenix, with key elements including the concepts of artistic freedom, religious rights, and anti-discrimination laws. …

Courthouse News reports: The Eighth Circuit paved the way Friday for two Christian videographers to subvert a Minnesota nondiscrimination law that would make them film gay weddings. Carl and Angel Larsen are the husband-and-wife team behind Telescope Media Group. Though they challenged the Minnesota Human Rights Act as unconstitutional, U.S. District Judge John Tunheim in Minneapolis dismissed their case after …

From the far-right Washington Times: Vice President Mike Pence said Tuesday he was surprised by media criticism of his wife’s decision to teach art at a school with devout Christian beliefs, and said he’s gotten lots of practice in forgiving his critics. He was speaking to the Alliance Defending Freedom, a Christian religious liberty organization, and ADF CEO Michael Farris …

The National Christian Foundation reportedly raised over $1.5 billion in tax-exempt donations in 2017 and a lot of that money is being devoted to groups which advocate for imprisoning LGBT persons around the world. Alex Kotch reports at Sludge: The nation’s eighth-largest public charity is pouring tens of millions of dollars each year into a number of mostly anti-LGBT hate …

From the Alliance Defending Freedom: First Amendment advocates point out that “equality acts” in states and cities are wielded as weapons to silence creative professionals who serve all but cannot in good conscience communicate every message — particularly messages affirming others’ claimed genders or same-sex marriages. These laws and their spin-offs are used to censor counselors; silence filmmakers, painters, graphic …

The Huffington Post reports: The Senate voted Tuesday to confirm Allison Jones Rushing, 37, to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit, making her the youngest federal judge in the country. The Senate voted 53-44 to put Rushing into the lifetime court seat. Every Republican present voted for her. Every Democrat present opposed her. Democrats raised a number …

Hemant Mehta reports at The Friendly Atheist: Arizona citizens have been inadvertently funding a Christian hate group whenever they pay the fee for the specialty “In God We Trust” license plate. It’s not public knowledge that a large portion of that fee goes to Alliance Defending Freedom, and State Sen. Juan Mendez has filed two bill intended to make that …