On Tuesday, former First Liberty client and U.S. Navy SEAL Phil Mendes participated in the inaugural meeting of the Trump administration’s Task Force to Eradicate Anti-Christian Bias in the federal government. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi hosted the meeting.
Phil was one of several Navy Special Warfare officers to participate in First Liberty’s federal lawsuit after they were refused religious accommodation from the military’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate.
Phil testified about the terrible mistreatment and punishment by the previous administration, which denied countless religious accommodation requests without giving them the consideration required by law.
That punitive approach affected Phil and thousands of other service members. Many of our military heroes—including some of First Liberty’s own team members—were denied deployment and advancement opportunities, medical benefits, and even threatened with court-martial simply because they sought to serve in a manner consistent with their religious beliefs.
This was an incredible opportunity for Phil, who was able share his story and the impact of his legal battle to a room filled with America’s top leaders, including:
- Marco Rubio, U.S. Secretary of State
- Pete Hegseth, U.S. Secretary of Defense
- Lori Chavez DeRemer, U.S. Secretary of Labor
- Kristi Noem, U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security
- Robert F. Kennedy Jr., U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services
- Doug Collins, U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs
“As shown by our victims’ stories today, Biden’s Department of Justice abused and targeted peaceful Christians while ignoring violent, anti-Christian offenses,” Bondi said. “Thanks to President Trump, we have ended those abuses, and we will continue to work closely with every member of this Task Force to protect every American’s right to speak and worship freely.”
“We are thrilled that President Trump and Attorney General Bondi recognize that religious liberty is foundational to all of our Constitutional freedoms and are doing all they can do to protect our first freedom,” said Kelly Shackelford, President, CEO and Chief Counsel at First Liberty.
First Liberty fought a lengthy legal battle to stop the Pentagon brass from punishing our nation’s warriors. Our legal team secured the first major federal court injunction that stopped the Defense Department from punishing our U.S. Navy SEAL clients and other service members.
Last July, First Liberty secured a major victory for our clients and thousands of Navy personnel. It was a full and complete win that corrected the wrongs done to our clients. Plus, the settlement impacted many more of America’s military personnel. It’s a broad win that set an important precedent, giving all Navy service members more religious freedom protections than ever before.
VA Secretary Points to First Liberty’s Victory for Chaplain Trubey
Also at the meeting, U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs Doug Collins explained recent actions his department took to protect religious freedom for all chaplains and referenced First Liberty’s recent victory for Chaplain Rusty Trubey.
Earlier this month, Collins stopped an unconstitutional speech code at the Coatesville VA Medical Center. The Secretary took action after he received First Liberty’s letter that brought attention to the disciplinary steps taken against Chaplain Trubey.
The Coatesville VA threatened to punish Trubey because he fulfilled his duties and preached a sermon from the Bible. His supervisor tried implementing an unconstitutional policy to review the content of chaplain sermons, limiting the topics on which chaplains could preach.
Because of the Collins’ swift action, Trubey and his chaplain colleagues across the nation may preach freely and fulfill their duties to provide spiritual comfort to our veterans and wounded warriors. They will no longer face the possibility of censorship or punishment for simply speaking according to their faith.
“VA reiterates again its commitment to upholding and enforcing the constitutional and statutory protections afforded to Chaplains,” Secretary Collins’ letter noted. “VA will take all steps necessary to avoid any future inconsistent actions.”
“All Americans should be free to exercise their faith without government intrusion in school, in the military, in the workplace, and in the public square,” Shackelford added. “Our clients are first in the fight for religious liberty, and we are thrilled that their cases were highlighted.”
