Is COVID Really Over? Many of Its Legal Side Effects Linger.
Six years have passed since the COVID-19 epidemic. But its side effects linger—especially the damage done to religious liberty.
The era of lockdowns created a constitutional crisis. It opened an entirely new line of attacks on religious liberty, creating a whole host of legal issues. Many religious Americans who were wronged and discriminated against during the pandemic are still fighting their cases.
Public and private employers began to impose vaccine mandates, rejecting any religious-accommodation requests outright or not giving proper consideration required under the law. The result? Many people of faith lost their jobs. They were forced out because of their religious beliefs.
Many careers were ruined, and many people went to court to seek relief. Many are still waiting for justice – and to be made whole.
In 2023, we won a precedent-setting U.S. Supreme Court case (Groff v. DeJoy) strengthening legal protections for people of faith at work. Now, we have our work cut out for us. We are taking on more and more cases involving Americans forced to choose between their faith and their job.
In Each Case, Our Clients’ Courage is Their First Victory
by Howard Goldthwaite, Senior Director of Creative Strategy
At First Liberty, our goal is always victory in court for our clients. Sometimes that can take years of hard work, and we love to win. But there’s an even greater victory that comes way before we ever set foot in a courtroom. In fact, it comes before First Liberty ever begins representing someone.
Whenever a person of faith boldly stands up for their beliefs—even when threatened with severe consequences—that is a huge victory. In fact, the risk of greater consequences always makes the victory that much greater.
It would be much easier for our clients to set their faith aside, put their light under a bushel, compromise their values, and do as they were told to keep their jobs. Our clients are faced with a hard choice. But they make the decision to stand strong and show courage, refusing to take the easy way out. And THAT is the mightiest victory of all.
In Case You Missed It:
Kelly Shackelford on Trinity Broadcast Network
On Wednesday, First Liberty President & CEO Kelly Shackelford appeared as a special guest on TBN’s Praise with Matt & Laurie Crouch.
Watch Kelly’s full interview as he discusses the legal battle for religious freedom in America:
Leading The Conversation | First Liberty in the News
Scout’s Honor – Senior Counsel Christopher Motz in First Things
Interview | Biden Admin ‘Penalized Christians Who Lived According to Their Beliefs’ – Senior Counsel Jeremy Dys on The Lion
Opinion | The War of Words Between Pope and President – Center for Religion, Culture & Democracy Senior Fellow J. Daryl Charles in WORLD
Teaching the Declaration in an Age of Individualism – Center for Religion, Culture & Democracy Research Fellow Jacob Wolf published by the Jack Miller Center
Navy SEALs Seek to Shield Parents and Children from Religious Discrimination
A group of U.S. Navy SEALs is asking the state supreme court in West Virginia to protect the right of parents to raise their children consistent with their faith.
We submitted a friend-of the-court brief this week on behalf of current and former service members who are urging the Supreme Court of Appeals, West Virginia’s highest court, to rule in favor of parents who want to exempt their children from mandatory vaccinations.
You’ll recall that First Liberty won a major class-action lawsuit for dozens of U.S. Navy SEALs and thousands of Navy personnel who were punished for requesting religious accommodations to the military’s egregious COVID vaccine mandate.
In the brief, service members share their stories with the court as cautionary tales of the cost, pain and suffering when government discriminates against religious Americans.
“The lessons learned from the case involving the Navy SEALs should be a reminder of the importance of respecting the rights of conscience of all Americans,” said First Liberty Senior Counsel Jeremy Dys. “When government agents provide secular accommodations—like medical waivers—the government cannot exclude an accommodation based on religion.”
The Tattered Flag
by David K. Holmes, Executive Vice President & Chief Legacy Officer
Imagine a battle-ravaged flag flying over Fort McHenry, over the Chosin Reservoir in Korea, over Bastogne in Belgium, over Khe Sanh in Viet Nam, over Fallujah, Iraq, or over Marjah, Afghanistan. Full of holes and worn down by war, the banner proudly showed the pugnacious, inspirational, and patriotic spirit of Americans fighting for our country.
What would a religious-liberty flag look like?
It would also show signs of conflict with ragged, soiled, and shredded cloth. But it still flies proudly despite it all. Those who have held it high have been spat upon, sniped at, shouted down, persecuted, and driven from schools, churches, corporations, the military, and public spaces just because of their faith.
Our clients have seen horrible bigotry and discrimination that has devastated their families and careers – all because they had the courage to stand up for their faith. They carry that flag into the fight, and First Liberty stands beside them all the way. They are patriotic citizens doing their duty for God and country, and so are you, as you support them.
Editors’ Picks | Stories Around the Nation
What Is Rededicate 250? Trump’s National Day of Prayer Explained – Newsweek
A Modest Uptick in Supreme Court Popularity – Reason
Colorado Catholic Schools Need Not Apply – The Wall Street Journal
The Supreme Court Faces an Even Bigger Test of the Balance Between Religious Liberty and Nondiscrimination – Deseret News
Balancing Religious Liberty and National Security: A Lesson From Ancient Greece – Daily Signal
