
VICTORY: Kountze Cheerleaders Win at Texas Appeals Court
In yet another win and precedent for private speech protected by the First Amendment, the Texas Court of Appeals for the Ninth District last week ruled in favor of the Kountze, TX cheerleaders who were banned from including Bible verses on run-through banners at football games. The school district prohibited […]

Coach Kennedy Calls the Next Play: Files Motion for En Banc Rehearing of Case
On September 21, attorneys for First Liberty Institute and Gibson Dunn filed a petition on behalf of their client, former football coach Joe Kennedy, requesting an en banc rehearing of the case by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. If granted, eleven active Ninth Circuit judges—including the […]

Poll: Are Americans Afraid to be Free?
Toni Richardson: “I have self-censored my speech in private conversations, stripping it of anything that sounds religious.” Yet still, she’s fighting back. by Christopher Corbett There may be no better way to explain the need for a robust legal defense of religious freedom than two pieces of information that emerged […]

VICTORY for Chabad of Irvine—But Challenges Remain
Last week, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit blocked an attempt to prevent Chabad of Irvine from practicing a historic Jewish ritual. The court denied the activists’ motion for an “injunction pending appeal.” In other words, this motion asked the court to stop the small Orthodox Jewish synagogue–located […]

Churches Affected By Hurricanes Banned From Receiving Federal Aid
Three churches represented by First Liberty Institute are asking the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to revoke a directive that bans religious institutions from receiving disaster relief. Among the hundreds of affected communities along the Gulf Coast, Church on the Rock Katy, Grace Community Church in Houston, and Trinity Church […]

First Liberty Submits Brief in Baker’s Supreme Court Case
On September 7, 2017, attorneys with First Liberty Institute filed a friend-of-the-court brief with the Supreme Court of the United States on behalf of their clients, Aaron and Melissa Klein. The amicus brief was filed in support of Jack Phillips, the petitioner in Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission, […]