Snohomish Firefighters Petition U.S. Supreme Court
A group of firefighters in Washington state were placed on unpaid leave for eight months after they asked their employer for a religious accommodation.
First Liberty filed a petition asking the U.S. Supreme Court to hear their case and make it clear that Americans should not be forced to choose between their faith and their job.
When Snohomish Regional Fire and Rescue instituted a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for all employees, it put in place a religious exemption process. Eight firefighters requested that exemption. But the fire department ended up denying their requests, claiming that granting an accommodation would be a hardship.
Facing indefinite unpaid leave, the Snohomish Eight found work in other nearby fire departments in and outside the county that accommodated them without a problem. The fire chief eventually decided to bring the firefighters back to work, still unvaccinated. They resumed their jobs without causing any difficulties or added expense.
No doubt, the fire department could have accommodated our clients. Instead, it chose to violate their rights under the law and punish them for their religious beliefs.
Winning this case would right the wrongs done to our clients. Plus, a victory would impact religious employees nationwide, ensuring they are given equal opportunity and fair treatment in the workplace.
In the Big Easy, It’s Hard to Tell Others About Jesus
The City of New Orleans told two residents that they’re not allowed to share their faith in a public park. Police even threatened to arrest them!
In January, our client Brant Zeller and a friend went to share their Christian faith with people walking through Woldenberg Park. Brant held a sign reading “Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life” and wore a shirt stating: “Trust Jesus.” Their intent was to start conversations, hand out literature, and evangelize in a respectful manner.
But a park employee complained and called the police. The officers told Brant and his friend that it’s illegal for them to pass out religious literature at the park and warned them that they could be “removed or arrested” if they failed to immediately leave.
First Liberty sent the city a demand letter explaining that banning religious speech in a public park is unconstitutional. We’re asking the city to give written assurance that Brant will be able to share his faith without restrictions in the future.
We recently won a huge U.S. Supreme Court case for Mississippi evangelist Gabe Olivier, who was also banned from sharing his faith in a public park.
One thing is clear: Religious Americans are being silenced and censored in the public square.
Your support is the key to winning more cases and securing religious liberty for people all across America. Please give to First Liberty today.
Open the Gates! Let Revival Spread Across America
“When we win cases, First Liberty is making an impact that will last for generations,” says First Liberty President & CEO Kelly Shackelford. “Every victory is opening the gates for our children and grandchildren.”
“I see a generation that’s on fire for their faith and our country,” Kelly adds. “I see it every time I speak at one of our student seminars: young leaders who are passionate and ready to bring revival to America.”
That’s the heart behind the Savannah Seminar and other education programs at First Liberty’s Center for Religion, Culture & Democracy.
Every year, students from across the country gather in the culturally diverse and historic city of Savannah, Georgia. They immerse themselves in a five-day experience to expand their knowledge of history, political thought, and religious liberty.
The event deepens their understanding of the foundational concepts America is built upon and prepares them to advance the cause of freedom as they enter their careers, whether as lawyers, educators, public servants or any other field where God may call them.
Check out the photos from this year’s Savannah Seminar:
Leading The Conversation | First Liberty in the News
Religious Liberty Commission Holds Final Hearing on the Past, Present, and Future of Religious Liberty in America – U.S. Department of Justice
Opinion: My Coworkers Asked About My Christian Beliefs. Then I Lost My Job – First Liberty Client Paige Rogers in Fox News
Opinion: Olivier v. City of Brandon: A Unanimous Supreme Court Win for Civil Rights – Senior Counsel Nate Kellum in The Washington Times
Podcast: One Conversation, Two Rules – First Liberty Client, Paige Rogers & Senior Counsel Cliff Martin in WORLD
Opinion: Doing It the Right Way – Center for Religion, Culture & Democracy Senior Fellow Hunter Baker in WORLD
Podcast: Unmasking the Secular Lies About America’s Founding – Center for Religion, Culture & Democracy Senior Research Fellow Mark David Hall in Center for Christian Virtue
Happy Birthday T.J.! America Wouldn’t Be the Same Without You
April 13 marked the 283rd anniversary of Thomas Jefferson’s birthday. A renaissance man with a long and accomplished legacy, Jefferson played a major role in the founding of America—and establishing its strong protections for religious freedom for all.
Jefferson only wanted three accomplishments on his tombstone: author of the Declaration of American Independence, founder of the University of Virginia, and author of the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom.
Why would someone so accomplished want to be remembered specifically for religious freedom? Because Jefferson and virtually all the Founders understood that American independence could not be separated from religious freedom. Our founding was centered around the idea that our rights come from God—not from government.
As America celebrates its 250th anniversary of independence, we honor Jefferson’s legacy. Through his work, he paved the way for every American to freely and openly live out their faith.
Watch below:
DOJ Report: Biden Administration Weaponized
the Law Against Religious, Pro-Life Groups
by Jorge Gomez, Director of Content Strategy
The Biden administration colluded with abortion activists to target and prosecute religious, pro-life organizations, according to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).
On Tuesday, the DOJ published an explosive, 800-page report exposing the selective enforcement of a federal law against life-affirming groups, while ignoring increasing violence against pro-life pregnancy centers.
The Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act includes language protecting religious institutions, including churches, as well as abortion centers and pregnancy resource centers.
The Justice Department’s “Weaponization Working Group”—a team created under the Trump administration to examine whether federal law was used in a biased or politically motivated way—reviewed more than 700,000 internal communications, case files and prosecutorial decisions tied to enforcement of the FACE Act.
During the Biden administration, First Liberty Institute represented several pro-life pregnancy care centers that suffered threats, violence and property damage following the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Jackson, which properly returned the power to regulate abortion back to the states.
“The Biden administration’s selective enforcement of the FACE Act was an unconscionable abuse of power,” said Jeremy Dys, Senior Counsel at First Liberty. “Unequally applying the law denied justice to our clients and undermined our republic.”
“Worse, deploying the FACE Act as a means of political cover is an admission that the Biden administration could have done more to protect Americans nationwide,” he added. “Instead, the Biden DOJ chose politics over justice. We are grateful to the current Department of Justice for revealing this injustice and hope it will take immediate steps to ensure it never happens again.”
“Though the FACE Act was supposed to protect both pro-choice and pro-life facilities,” the report explains, “Biden DOJ senior leadership and Task Force Members provided extensive support to abortion clinics, yet the Biden DOJ often ignored and downplayed vandalism and attacks against pregnancy resource centers or houses of worship.”
Additionally, Biden’s DOJ “affirmatively asked the abortion groups about pro-life individuals’ travel and constitutionally protected advocacy.” It also collaborated with pro-abortion organizations to create files containing “personally identifying information, such as addresses, photographs (including of spouses and minor children), names of associates and affiliated ministries, information about their upcoming travel plans or planned protests, and even drivers’ license numbers.”
First Liberty fought a federal court case for Heartbeat of Miami, a ministry providing services and support to women and couples facing unplanned pregnancies in Hialeah, Florida. Their facility was vandalized multiple times. We won that case alongside former Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody. The vandals associated with a group called Jane’s Revenge who sought to injure, intimidate and interfere with access were held accountable for their crimes.
And although we successfully litigated that case, the Biden DOJ’s selective prosecution of the arsonists and vandals that attacked pro-life reproductive health facilities denied justice to many others.
The Trump administration has already taken steps to rectify the injustices of its predecessor. President Trump pardoned 23 pro-life Americans who were arrested, convicted and imprisoned during Biden-era prosecutions.
The Trump DOJ also dismissed three Biden-era civil lawsuits against “non-violent pro-life demonstrators and issued a directive that, moving forward, DOJ prosecutors may only bring FACE Act civil actions and prosecutions in extraordinary circumstances or in cases presenting significant aggravating factors.”
“This Department will not tolerate a two-tiered system of justice,” Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement. “No Department should conduct selective prosecution based on beliefs. The weaponization that happened under the Biden administration will not happen again, as we restore integrity to our prosecutorial system.”
Editors’ Picks | Stories Around the Nation
Trump Reveals He Has Multi-Pick SCOTUS Plan Ready As Retirement Speculation Heats Up – Fox News
White House Religious Liberty Commission Holds Final Hearing – WORLD
California Dems, LGBTQ Groups Spark Legal, Religious Liberty Concerns on Fight Against SCOTUS Ruling – The Lion
Alabama Will Allow Public School Students ‘Released Time’ for Religious Instruction – The Chrisitan Post
From ‘BuddhaBot’ to $1.99 chats with AI Jesus, the faith-based tech boom is here – Associated Press
Faith, Freedom, and the Future of Our Nation – The Conservateur
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