“Religious organizations and churches in rural America deserve equal access to federal programs, and the First Amendment protects this fundamental right. Prior administrations enacted certain U.S. Department of Agriculture regulations that exclude faith-based organizations just because they engage in religious activities. We’re thankful to Secretary Rollins for her public commitment to religious liberty and we hope our petition will help the USDA correct discriminatory rules and ensure all its programs are operated consistent with religious liberty and fairness for all Americans.”
“Religious organizations and churches in rural America deserve equal access to federal programs, and the First Amendment protects this fundamental right. Prior administrations enacted certain U.S. Department of Agriculture regulations that exclude faith-based organizations just because they engage in religious activities. We’re thankful to Secretary Rollins for her public commitment to religious liberty and we hope our petition will help the USDA correct discriminatory rules and ensure all its programs are operated consistent with religious liberty and fairness for all Americans.”
“Religious organizations and churches in rural America deserve equal access to federal programs, and the First Amendment protects this fundamental right. Prior administrations enacted certain U.S. Department of Agriculture regulations that exclude faith-based organizations just because they engage in religious activities. We’re thankful to Secretary Rollins for her public commitment to religious liberty and we hope our petition will help the USDA correct discriminatory rules and ensure all its programs are operated consistent with religious liberty and fairness for all Americans.”
“The Grants Pass School District is taking the right step by acknowledging that teachers don’t give up their First Amendment rights when they set foot on school property. Public schools can’t retaliate against speech simply because they disagree with what’s said.”
“This case isn’t about books; it’s about public officials telling an employee that he isn’t allowed to express a view that differs from their own,” said ADF Senior Counsel Tyson Langhofer, director of the ADF Center for Academic Freedom. “Our legal system is built on the truth that the government can’t silence a speaker just because it disapproves of what he says."
“Out-of-state abortion drug peddlers are violating the criminal laws of Louisiana and other states across the country that choose life. They aren’t providing healthcare, they’re drug dealers,” Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill said.
In a victory for free speech on Tuesday, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky held Louisville accountable for violating the First Amendment rights of a wedding photographer and blogger and protected her freedom to speak messages that align with her religious beliefs.
In a victory for religious schools, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit ruled Tuesday that Vermont must allow a Christian school back into the state’s athletic association.
“Mr. Foote and Ms. Silvestri have a moral belief, backed by well-supported scientific opinion, that a so-called gender transition harms children. Parents have unique and intimate knowledge of their own children’s best interests, but the Ludlow School Committee insists it knows better than parents, undermining centuries of tradition, case law, and common sense. We are thankful for these advocates who are urging the Supreme Court to take this case and affirm the constitutional protections parents have in making the best decisions for their children.”
Alliance Defending Freedom is grieved to learn of the passing of Dr. James Dobson Thursday at age 89. Dobson founded the highly influential Focus on the Family in 1977 before forming other ministries and organizations like the Family Research Council, Family Policy Alliance, and Dr. James Dobson Family Institute. Dobson was also involved in the establishment of Alliance Defending Freedom.
“Government officials can’t silence medical professionals and prevent them from saving lives,” said ADF Senior Counsel Kevin Theriot. “Many women regret their chemical abortions, and some choose to reverse the effects of the first abortion drug, which can save their baby’s life. But Colorado’s law wrongly attempted to deny women the freedom to make that choice. The court is right to rule that the state can’t force women to follow through with a chemical abortion when a safe alternative is available—one that Chelsea and the pro-life plaintiffs in this case can skillfully provide.”
“Because caregivers like Jessica cannot promote Oregon’s dangerous gender ideology to young kids and take them to events like pride parades, the state considers them to be unfit parents. That is false and incredibly dangerous, needlessly depriving kids of opportunities to find a loving home. The 9th Circuit was right to remind Oregon that the foster and adoption system is supposed to serve the best interests of children, not the state’s ideological crusade.”
Alliance Defending Freedom attorneys representing a Christian photographer and blogger in New York agreed to enter a court-approved settlement after a federal district court temporarily halted state officials from compelling her to express messages inconsistent with her faith.
“Parents—not the government—have the fundamental right to direct the upbringing, education, and health care of their children,” said ADF Senior Counsel and Vice President of Appellate Advocacy John Bursch. “Mr. Foote and Ms. Silvestri have a moral belief, backed by well-supported scientific opinion, that a so-called gender transition harms children. Yet the Ludlow School Committee has not only enacted a secret social transition policy that keeps parents completely in the dark about their kids, they also blatantly go against parents’ express wishes."
“As the Supreme Court has repeatedly affirmed, the government has no business trying to strip traditional views about sex and gender from the marketplace of ideas,” said ADF Senior Counsel Hal Frampton, director of the ADF Center for Conscience Initiatives.
Twenty-three states and numerous pro-life advocates submitted friend-of-the-court briefs in April 2024 to the 4th Circuit asking it to uphold West Virginia’s pro-life law.
“Parents have the right to direct the upbringing, education, and health care of their children without fear of government interference,” said ADF Senior Counsel Kate Anderson, director of ADF’s Center for Parental Rights. “Schools should never hide vital information from parents, let alone go against their express instructions related to the well-being of their children. School officials should support parents, not replace them, and we are urging the court to uphold these constitutional rights.”
“The people of West Virginia know that it’s unfair to let male athletes compete against women; that’s why we passed this commonsense law preserving women’s sports for women. We are confident the Supreme Court will uphold the Save Women’s Sports Act because it complies with the U.S. Constitution and complies with Title IX. And most importantly: It protects women and girls by ensuring the playing field is safe and fair.”
“HIPAA confers authority to promulgate regulations protecting individually identifiable health information. But it confers no authority to distinguish between types of health information to accomplish political ends like protecting access to abortion and gender-transition procedures,” the court wrote in its opinion in Purl v. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. “Thus, HHS lacks the authority to issue regulations that enact heightened protections for information about politically favored procedures.”
New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin served a subpoena demanding that First Choice identify—by name—the donors behind nearly 5,000 donations and produce up to 10 years of its internal, confidential documents. The First Amendment protects donor identities from unjustified disclosure and prohibits a state official from retaliating against speech with which he disagrees.
“Despite the clear desire and ability to provide a safe and loving home for children in need, the Crams were denied a license to foster. According to the denial letter sent to the Crams in June of 2021 by Vermont’s Department for Children and Families, the Crams’ ‘fundamental belief’ of ‘God’s plan for all of us,’ would ‘not meet the emotional or developmental needs of children.’”
“When parents drop their kids off at school, they place great trust in the school. And when schools cut parents out of weighty decisions about their own kids, they betray that trust. That’s what happened here. Under the district’s policy, school staff concealed important information from Jennifer about her daughter... The district’s betrayal of parents like Jennifer violates their fundamental rights, something we’re urging the 2nd Circuit to recognize.”
“We’re pleased that Vermont recognized it needed to amend its discriminatory law that unlawfully targeted faith-based pregnancy centers and restricted their ability to speak and act according to their conscience. Pregnancy centers must be free to serve and empower women and their families by offering the support they need without fear of unjust government punishment.”
“XX-XY Athletics believes that women deserve to compete fairly and holds to the commonsense view that biological differences exist between men and women, but Colorado’s law places them at risk for speaking the truth. We are urging the court to protect the ability of Coloradans to openly express their beliefs on this hotly debated issue.”
“As the Supreme Court reaffirmed in 303 Creative, the government can’t force Americans to say things they don’t believe. The U.S. Constitution protects Emilee’s freedom to express her own views as she continues to serve clients of all backgrounds and beliefs. The district court rightly upheld this freedom and followed Supreme Court precedent. Emilee can now enjoy the freedom to create and express herself, a freedom that protects all Americans regardless of their views.”
"A disturbing trend of censoring specific viewpoints—especially mainstream conservative and religious beliefs—has taken root over the years in Silicon Valley and even our own government, especially under the prior administration. We are urging the FTC to thoroughly investigate the ways in which Big Tech weaponizes its platforms to punish Americans for simply holding a different viewpoint than the one tech companies prefer, and for the agency to take action where necessary.”
When IdRaHaJe requested to run its camp in line with its religious beliefs, the department denied the request, forcing the camp to choose between upholding its beliefs about biological sex and risk losing its license or abandoning its beliefs and mission to minister to children.
Pregnancy centers wish to share that it may be possible to counteract mifepristone’s lethal effects if they change their minds and seek treatment within 72 hours of taking the first drug. But their scientifically backed speech about the treatment is chilled by the attorney general’s censorship campaign against similar speech.
MELBOURNE – As the Labour Party claim victory in Australia’s election, the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, & Labor has issued a...
IBM and many other household brands had joined GARM, which promised to promote “digital safety” and protect brand value. But in practice, GARM worked to censor mainstream conservative and religious speakers, including Joe Rogan, the Daily Wire, and Elon Musk, under the guise of “misinformation” and “hate speech.”
Unfortunately, doctors and nurses have been targeted for caring for their patients by refraining from harmful and dangerous procedures. This ends up discouraging countless young professionals from entering the health care field because of fear that they will be forced to violate their conscience. Tennessee’s MED Act ensures that health care professionals are not forced to participate in procedures that violate their ethical, moral, or religious beliefs.
In the case, a former federal official and agency head is suing the Trump administration after the president fired her for refusing to follow an executive order that calls for the federal government to end harmful gender-identity policies.
“The government can’t deny public benefits to a Christian ministry that is caring for young survivors of sex trafficking solely because of its religious character and exercise,” said ADF Legal Counsel Jake Reed, who argued before the court.