Category: Politics

Attorneys are asking the Arizona Supreme Court to reject a proposed amendment to attorney ethical rules that would create significant threats to the constitutionally protected rights of many Arizona lawyers.

Dozens of individual attorneys—including some affiliated with the Alliance Defense Fund, a legal alliance of Christian attorneys and like-minded organizations defending the right of people to freely live out their faith—filed a letter Friday with their request. An addendum was filed Wednesday, as opposition to the amendment gained the support of a total of 72 Arizona attorneys from diverse law practices.

The proposed amendment would prohibit attorneys in many instances from expressing views that others might perceive as biased, based on sexual orientation and gender identity or expression. Lawyers who advocate for certain legal positions, including the view that the law should protect and preserve marriage as the unique union of a man and a woman, could be punished if the amendment passes.

A new lawsuit seeking to impose a redefinition of marriage on the people of New Jersey through the courts should be quickly dismissed in light of a recent state Supreme Court ruling that has already settled the matter. So says the Alliance Defense Fund.

“Marriage between a man and a woman is a longstanding, worldwide idea that is the primary building block of society. It naturally builds families—mom, dad and children—and gives hope that the next generations will carry that on into the future,” says ADF Senior Legal Counsel Austin R. Nimocks.

“That’s why it is worthy of special protection. The New Jersey Supreme Court has already decided this matter by denying the attempts of activists to make marriage something other than this through the courts.”

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Should New York’s clerks be forced to issue same-sex marriage licenses? That’s the subject of a legal memo the Alliance Defense Fund circulated Friday.

The memo assures New York State municipal clerks responsible for issuing marriage licenses that the law does not require them to violate their sincerely held religious beliefs. In other words, clerks can delegate the issuance of same-sex marriage licenses to someone else.

“No one should have to choose between their religious beliefs and their job. The law—and New York’s highest court—affirms this fundamental principle of freedom,” says ADF Senior Counsel Brian Raum. “It’s outrageous that officials are threatening criminal prosecution for clerks who exercise their lawful right to delegate the issuing of same-sex ‘marriage’ licenses, especially when the law requires the accommodation of their religious beliefs. We encourage all clerks to affirm their rights under New York State law.”

The American Center for Law and Justice convinced a federal district court to block enforcement of New York City’s recently adopted ordinance targeting crisis pregnancy centers. The measure, scheduled to take effect on Thursday, has been blocked by a preliminary injunction issued in response to a challenge made by the ACLJ in a federal lawsuit.

“This is a resounding victory underscoring what we have argued all along—this law that forces crisis pregnancy centers to adopt and express views about abortion and contraception that they strongly disagree with is constitutionally flawed,” says CeCe Heil, senior counsel of the ACLJ. “The court clearly understood that this law punishes pro-life advocates. We’re confident that this law will never see the light of day and that the constitutional protections afforded to crisis pregnancy centers will be safeguarded.”

California Gov. Jerry Brown signed Senate Bill 48 on Thursday, making California the first U.S. state required to teach students about the contributions of homosexuals, bisexuals and transgenders.

Also known as the Fair, Accountable, Inclusive and Respectful Education Act (FAIR Act), SB 48 was written by self-admitted homosexual state Sen. Mark Leno of San Francisco. The bill passed the Assembly Education committee on June 22, and on July 5 the state Assembly sent it through to Gov. Jerry Brown on a 49-25 vote.

“History should be honest,” Brown said in a statement. “This bill revises existing laws that prohibit discrimination in education and ensures that the important contributions of Americans from all backgrounds and walks of life are included in our history books. It represents an important step forward for our state, and I thank Senator Leno for his hard work on this historic legislation.”

Until now, Texas Gov. Rick Perry had merely been mocked, opposed and otherwise persecuted for suggesting that we fall to our knees and cry out to God to restore the land. Now, a federal lawsuit has been filed to try to stop Perry’s “Day of Prayer and Fasting,” also known as The Response.

The Freedom From Religion Foundation filed a federal lawsuit on Wednesday in the Southern District Court of Texas in Houston. The lawsuit seeks to block Perry from participating in the prayer rally at Houston’s Reliant Stadium on Aug. 6. The suit also asks the federal court to declare Perry’s initiation, organization, promotion and participation in the event unconstitutional. The FFRF is even going so far as to propose a restraining order after a hearing date is set.

An Akron, Ohio, man was restored his civil liberties just in time for Independence Day. City officials reversed course and allowed Christian man Jason Robinson to peacefully share his faith near this year’s Fourth of July fireworks show at a public park.

The decision came after the Alliance Defense Fund, a legal alliance of Christian attorneys and like-minded organizations defending the right of people to freely live out their faith, sent the mayor a letter on Robinson’s behalf. The letter urged the city not to violate Robinson’s constitutional rights at the annual downtown fireworks display.

“Mr. Robinson desires to convey his religious beliefs through activities protected by the First Amendment of the United States Constitution,” the letter states. “Religious expression is speech and is entitled to the same level of protection as other kinds of speech.”

A church in Yuma, Ariz., faced unfair treatment when it was left paying the mortgage on a building the city would not allow it to occupy.

The Alliance Defense Fund, a legal alliance of Christian attorneys and like-minded organizations defending the right of people to freely live out their faith, announced Tuesday that the church won its legal battle on appeal and can now seek damages, including payment for the money it lost.

“Churches should not be singled out for discrimination by a city’s zoning restrictions,” says Byron Babione, who argued before the 9th Circuit in April of last year. “Government officials cannot use broad commercial reasons to favor non-religious businesses or membership organizations over religious ones. The city’s actions left this small congregation with a mortgage to pay on a building it couldn’t use for two years while it had to pay for another meeting place at the same time.”

In a victory for parental rights, the Supreme Court of Ohio on Tuesday ruled that a woman who allowed her same-sex partner to coparent her biological child did not permanently give up her right to exclusive custody.

The Supreme Court ruling upheld two lower court decisions that Kelly Mullen, who allowed Michelle Hobbs to help her raise her biological daughter while they were in a relationship, retains full custody rights.

Recognizing the need to protect the biological mom’s constructional rights to raise her child, the court ruled, “‘Coparenting’ is not synonymous with an agreement by the biological parent to permanently relinquish sole custody in favor of shared legal parenting.”

Danny Danon, deputy speaker of the Israeli Knesset, has led Christian political leaders such as Sarah Palin and Mike Huckabee around Israel. On Monday he hosted TV and radio personality Glenn Beck at the Israeli Parliament.

Beck, a strong supporter of Israel, was warmly received by Israeli lawmakers.

“Glenn Beck is a powerful advocate for Israel with a very large and influential audience, and we are proud to have the opportunity to host him in the Knesset,” Danon explains. “With Israel’s enemies continuing to call for its destruction, it has become more important than ever to rally our friends in the United States and around the world to combat this wave of terrorism. Lasting peace in the Middle East is our long-term goal, but our Arab neighbors must first recognize Israel’s right to exist.”

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Betty Ford, the former First Lady who overcame drug and alcohol addiction and has helped many others find victory, passed away on Friday. The widow of the late President Gerald Ford was 93.

After completing her own treatment for chemical dependency at the U.S. Naval Hospital in Long Beach, Calif., Ford talked to her friends about the need for a treatment center that emphasized the special needs of women, the Betty Ford Center website explains.

Pro-Life Wisconsin is fighting to get lawmakers to uphold a state law which makes it illegal for the University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics Authority to pay physicians for performing abortions at a Planned Parenthood facility.

Alliance Defense Fund attorneys sent a letter Tuesday on the organization’s behalf to Wisconsin Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen, asking that he uphold the law. After making a vow in December to end its state-funded late-term abortion program, UWHCA is now wanting to continue its funding of abortions through training.

“State agency medical facilities should only be training and paying residents to protect and preserve preborn children—not destroy them,” ADF Legal Counsel Matt Bowman says. “State law makes it illegal for state entities, including the University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics Authority, to fund the killing of preborn children through training or other programs. We are confident that Attorney General Van Hollen will acknowledge that UWHCA is not above the law.”

California could become the first state to mandate that school districts must teach out of textbooks and instructional materials that include homosexual, bisexual and transgender teachings. On Thursday, the Democrat-controlled state Assembly passed Senate Bill 48—the Fair, Accountable, Inclusive and Respectful Education Act (FAIR Act).

The bill passed the Assembly Education committee on June 22, and the state Assembly sent it through to Gov. Jerry Brown on a 49-25 vote. Brown has 12 days—from the time it hit his desk—to either sign SB 48, veto it or let it become a bill without a signature.

The FAIR Act, written by self-admitted homosexual state Sen. Mark Leno of San Francisco, will require that homosexuals, bisexuals and transgenders be included in textbooks and instructional materials in a manner that does not “reflect adversely” upon them. This means that textbooks and materials—for students in kindergarten through 12th grade—must present lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, groups and lifestyles in a positive manner. Nothing negative or perceived to be negative about them can be presented.

President Obama’s father may have been willing to put the child that bears his name up for adoption, according to documents a Boston Globe reporter obtained.

While a sophomore at the University of Hawaii in 1961, the president’s father, Barack Obama Sr., was under scrutiny by federal immigration officials who were concerned that he had more than one wife, according to the Globe. Having more than one wife was grounds for deportation back to Kenya.

“When he was questioned by the school’s foreign student adviser, the 24-year-old Obama insisted that he had divorced his wife in his native Kenya. Although his new wife, Ann Dunham, was five months pregnant with their child—who would be called Barack Obama II—Obama declared that they intended to put their child up for adoption,” the Globe reports.

President Obama’s father may have been willing to put the child that bears his name up for adoption, according to documents a Boston Globe reporter obtained.

While a sophomore at the University of Hawaii in 1961, the president’s father, Barack Obama Sr., was under scrutiny by federal immigration officials who were concerned that he had more than one wife, according to the Globe. Having more than one wife was grounds for deportation back to Kenya.

“When he was questioned by the school’s foreign student adviser, the 24-year-old Obama insisted that he had divorced his wife in his native Kenya. Although his new wife, Ann Dunham, was five months pregnant with their child—who would be called Barack Obama II—Obama declared that they intended to put their child up for adoption,” the Globe reports.

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