by Jorge Gomez • 5 min read
Restoring and protecting religious freedom isn’t just about First Liberty’s legal success. Defending people of faith in the courtroom is crucial, but we’re also changing the future of America through multiple, major initiatives that shape the culture and educate millions about their constitutional rights.
Here are several areas of impact made possible thanks to your support:
Supreme Coup: Stopping Court-Packing and Radical “Court Reform”
This year, thanks to your support and God’s miraculous favor, we secured a major victory for our freedoms: We successfully stopped court-packing.
When First Liberty initially launched our Supreme Coup campaign, we had a daunting task. We had to reach and educate millions of Americans and key leaders about the dangers of court-packing, judicial term limits and other suspect reforms. We knew exposing the truth about court-packing was not going to be easy. Some even said that saving our revered system of justice was impossible, especially because one party controlled both chambers of Congress and was fixated on pushing through radical “court reform.”
Through Supreme Coup, our organization spent nearly $3 million in direct and indirect costs. Our efforts included the funding of national polling, conducting expert research, procuring direct ad buys, targeting selected media, constructing an educational microsite, and proactively building a national coalition of leaders and allies. Because of this, we garnered the support of more than 500,000 Americans to the cause.
And after investing significant time, effort and resources, God made something miraculous happen.
President Biden’s Commission to reform our courts—which was overwhelmingly comprised of liberal commissioners—ended up stymied on the court-packing issue. After months of deliberation, the Commission could not in good conscience recommend court-packing. In its reports, the Commission cited First Liberty’s research and arguments that we made over the past two years. It specifically referred to our polling and our warnings of how court-packing destroyed freedom in other countries. This was an enormous victory and evidence that our efforts were remarkably successful.
As this year ends, we should celebrate our success in saving the Supreme Court and America’s revered system of justice. If we had not won on this vital battlefront, right now, our courts would be politicized, our freedoms would be stripped away and our country would be headed toward tyranny, like every other country that’s tried court packing.
Restoring Faith in America
After two landmark victories at the U.S. Supreme Court in our Coach Kennedy and Treat Children Fairly cases, First Liberty launched a national initiative called Restoring Faith in America.
After decades of hostility to religion, the tide is finally turning and the future of religious freedom is brighter than ever before. God has opened an incredible door for all Americans to express their faith. Now, prayer can return to public places. Religious monuments that were taken down can go back up. Wherever your faith has been muzzled, religious freedom can confidently be put back where it rightfully and legally belongs.
We are leading the way forward and encouraging every American to seize this tremendous opportunity. There’s renewed hope that we can reclaim our nation’s heritage of religious expression, restore the freedoms that were stripped away and rebuild the foundation on which our Republic is built.
National Leaders Summit
In July 2022, First Liberty hosted the inaugural National Leaders Summit, a conference solely focused on religious freedom. This annual event brings together a dynamic group of top leaders who will cast a vision to save religious freedom for all Americans.
In its first year, the event was a resounding success. It featured more than 150 national leaders who facilitated a dynamic exchange of ideas and created a place to advance religious freedom in the future. It included an elite line up of speakers, including influential voices such as:
Religious Liberty in the States Index
First Liberty’s Center for Religion, Culture and Democracy (CRCD) launched Religious Liberty in the States (RLS), the first-of-its-kind nationwide empirical index of domestic religious liberty. RLS is a statistical index and data catalog that measures and ranks religious liberty for each of the 50 states.
The RLS is one of First Liberty’s most important educational efforts. It is a long-anticipated project and a milestone for our organization. We expect this yearly index will make a significant contribution to the research and academic fields. It will bear fruit and impact the national conversation on religious freedom for years to come.
No Better Letter: Thomas Jefferson’s “Wall of Separation” and the Letter that Changed America
Most people think the “wall of separation between Church & State” is in the Constitution. But it’s not. It’s from a simple letter written by Thomas Jefferson to a group of worshipers in Danbury, Connecticut. It’s a letter that’s been read—and misread—since 1802.
That’s why First Liberty produced “No Better Letter,” an animated video that tells the story of this historic letter, and how it enshrined religious liberty for all Americans.
Jefferson understood that the right to worship as we choose doesn’t come from the government, so the government has no right to interfere. Religious freedom comes directly from God, so it’s a right that will always be well worth protecting—which aligns perfectly with the mission of First Liberty.
“No Better Letter” is an inspiring story you’ll want to watch and share with people of all ages.
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