by Jorge Gomez • 3 minutes
We have a victory to report for our client, Chaplain Rusty Trubey.
The Coatesville VA Medical Center in Pennsylvania threatened to punish Chaplain Trubey. Why? Because he fulfilled his duties and preached a sermon from the Bible. His supervisor also tried implementing a policy to review the content of chaplain sermons, limiting the topics on which chaplains could preach.
On Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs Doug Collins responded to a letter First Liberty and the Independence Law Center sent in February asking him to take immediate action and eliminate an unconstitutional speech code being imposed by the VA.
Secretary Collins announced that his office has taken action to stop the speech code. The decision ensures that Chaplain Trubey and his chaplain colleagues across the nation may preach according to the dictates of their conscience.
“We thank Secretary Collins for his protection of religious liberty,” said Erin Smith, Associate Counsel at First Liberty. “Secretary Collins made it clear that the government has no business censoring anyone’s sermon, including military chaplains.”
Watch below. First Liberty President, CEO & Chief Counsel reacts to the VA’s response. He explains why this win for Chaplain Trubey will help protect religious liberty for all chaplains:
In the letter, Secretary Collins confirmed that a Letter of Reprimand against Chaplain Trubey was ”made in error” and has been rescinded. He also confirmed that the VA has no policy that inhibits chaplain sermons, and that “any proposed changes to any existing policy” will “not move forward and have been rescinded.”
“VA reiterates again its commitment to upholding and enforcing the constitutional and statutory protections afforded to Chaplains,” Secretary Collins’ letter noted. “VA will take all steps necessary to avoid any future inconsistent actions.”
“We are thrilled that Chaplain Trubey and his colleagues will no longer face the possibility of censorship or punishment for simply speaking according to their faith,” Smith added.
Chaplain Trubey is an Army Reserve chaplain, veteran and former missionary who has served the veterans of the Coatesville VA for the past 10 years.
Last June, as part of his normal duties, he led a worship service in the hospital’s chapel where he preached from the first chapter of Romans. The VA, however, threatened Chaplain Trubey for preaching that sermon.
Trubey’s supervisor said that Romans was a “very charged and divisive text,” and asked him to “write out any extemporaneous lines that (he) might have said that others might have found offensive.”
Chaplain Trubey was removed from his duties and reassigned to logistics in the hospital stocking shelves. He was also investigated for several months and threatened with a reprimand on his permanent record.
After receiving our Letter of Representation, the VA facility rescinded this proposed reprimand and restored Chaplain Trubey to his chaplain duties. But it continued to attack Chaplain Trubey’s religious speech through its proposed “sermon review” policy.
This week’s response from Secretary Collins rightfully brings the VA’s harassment and censorship to an end.
This is an incredibly meaningful victory for Chaplain Trubey. No chaplain in the VA or in our military should ever be punished for carrying out their religious mission and duties. They should be free to preach according to their religious convictions and denominational teachings without fear of censorship or retaliation.
Chaplains serve a unique and essential purpose. They’ve been part of America’s military from the very beginning. During the War of Independence, George Washington established a chaplain corps to tend to the spiritual needs of our soldiers. Throughout our nation’s history, chaplains have served alongside our troops, providing spiritual support to our service members and veterans. They minister, pray and care for our wounded warriors.
Thank you for supporting First Liberty. You’re the driving force that helps deliver these crucial victories. They make a big difference in the lives of Americans who want to exercise their constitutional rights and live in liberty.
Because of your support, Chaplain Trubey is once again free to fulfill his divinely inspired mission.
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