The District Court of Travis County has issued its final judgment in favor of Judge Dianne Hensley, who had been disciplined by the State Commission on Judicial Conduct (“Commission”) for recusing herself from performing same-sex weddings on account of her Christian faith. The final judgment awards Judge Hensley $10,000.00 in compensatory damages under the Texas Religious Freedom Restoration Act — the maximum allowed under the statute — and permanently enjoins the Commission from “investigating, sanctioning, or disciplining Judge Hensley over her refusal to officiate at same sex weddings on account of her religious beliefs.” The court’s judgment also requires the Commission to pay $630,000 for Judge Hensley’s attorney’s fees. First Liberty Institute and Jonathan F. Mitchell of Mitchell Law PLLC represented Judge Hensley.
Attorneys with First Liberty Institute and Sullivan & Cromwell LLP sent a letter to the City of Irvine, California, urging officials to cease penalizing local rabbi, Rafi Dadon, who hosts small, private religious gatherings in his home to meet the religious needs of his family, neighbors, and friends.
First Liberty Institute announced it joined the legal team representing former NBA referee Ken Mauer, who the league fired after it denied his religious exemption request from the league’s Covid-19 vaccine mandate.
First Liberty Institute and Clement & Murphy PLLC filed a petition at the Supreme Court of the United States asking the Justices to reverse a decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit that affirmed a lower court’s grant of qualified immunity to government officials in Louisiana who prevented a man from distributing Christian vegetarian literature on a public sidewalk in a public park.
Representing the Rockwall County Commissioners Court, First Liberty Institute sent a letter to the Freedom from Religion Foundation (“FFRF”) affirming that a permanent monument of the Ten Commandments placed on the grounds of the Rockwall County Courthouse is constitutional. The letter responds to claims made by FFRF in correspondence to Rockwall County officials.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier issued an opinion yesterday confirming that under federal and state law, public schools across the state are required to allow parent-requested release time for students to attend religious instruction off campus.
