Threat to Religious Schools Partially Lifted by Trump Executive Order and Supreme Court Action
On February 22, the Trump administration issued an Executive Order that, for now, gives needed breathing room for religious institutions regarding fidelity to their beliefs about gender and the use of sex-specific facilities for males and females – showers, locker rooms, dormitories, and bathrooms. The Executive Order triggered action by […]
5 “Must-Know” Facts About the Klein Case
First Liberty clients Aaron and Melissa Klein went before the Oregon Court of Appeals for oral arguments on Thursday, March 2. Former owners of a family bakery, “Sweet Cakes by Melissa,” the couple was penalized by the Oregon government when they declined to create a custom cake for a same-sex […]
The Bakery, the Pacifist, and the Movie Director
You might be surprised, but director Mel Gibson, pacifist World War II hero Desmond Doss, and former bakery owners Aaron and Melissa Klein all have something in common. What is it? The common denominator is that they have all—in some form—brought attention to the principle of religious conscientious objection to […]
Yes, “Sweet Cakes by Melissa” Could Make History
In 2007, Aaron and Melissa Klein and their family opened the storefront bakery “Sweet Cakes by Melissa” in Gresham, Oregon—prayed over by their pastor. Little did they know what awaited. Six years later, in 2013, their act of declining to create a custom-designed cake for a same-sex wedding due to […]
SHOWDOWN: “Sweet Cakes by Melissa” Goes to Court Next Week
The sexual revolution has been rippling through American society since the 1950s and 60s, affecting laws on divorce, abortion, same-sex marriage, gender, and more. But what happens when so-called “sexual liberty” collides with the First Amendment’s first liberty, which is religious liberty? One potentially history-making answer will emerge from the […]
7 Presidents Who Championed Religious Liberty
For most of American history, if your job title was “President of the United States,” then securing free exercise of religion was part of your job description. But who did it best? Here are some candidates for “Champions of Religious Liberty” from the annals of the U.S. presidents. Here is […]
