Dear Fellow American:
As our Nation awaits this upcoming presidential election, the American Freedom Law Center (AFLC) is hard at work fighting for your faith and freedom in courtrooms across America. Indeed, while elections are certainly important, we must never forget that secular progressives and other enemies to our Constitution and Judeo-Christian values often use the courts to promote their anti-American agenda. That is why AFLC’s mission is critical, regardless of the outcome of Tuesday’s election.
To that end, AFLC is pleased to report to you each month our significant accomplishments and case updates. As always, AFLC’s mission is made possible only by your generous support (please consider making a tax-deductible gift to AFLC today). Here are the highlights for the month of October:
- On October 22, AFLC filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of a prominent Christian pastor in Michigan, challenging a provision of Michigan’s election law that prohibits religious leaders from “influencing a voter at an election” by advising the voter “under pain of religious disapproval.” Anyone who violates this criminal law is subject to a fine or imprisonment. On October 30, Robert Muise presented oral argument in federal court in support of AFLC’s request for a temporary restraining order, which, if granted, would have halted the enforcement of the provision. However, the federal district court judge dismissed the case on “standing” grounds. As a result, AFLC immediately appealed the case to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit and filed a 32-page, emergency motion for an injunction prior to Election Day. Read more about this case here.
- On October 31, AFLC filed a petition for a writ of certiorari in the United States Supreme Court, asking the Court to review an appellate court decision which held that several Michigan pastors and a family values advocate lacked standing to challenge the constitutionality of the federal “Hate Crimes” law, which criminalizes so-called “bias” crimes motivated by a person’s “actual or perceived” “sexual orientation” or “gender identity.” Violators of the Act are subject to ten years in prison. Read more about this case here.
- On October 20, Robert had the honor of giving a speech at the Metro Detroit Stand Up for Religious Freedom Rally in Dearborn, Michigan, which was sponsored by Citizens for a Pro-Life Society. The topic of his speech was religious freedom and the First Amendment. You can watch the speech on YouTube here.
- On October 19, AFLC filed a request for an injunction in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York to halt the HHS contraception mandate. The injunction request is part of a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the Obama administration’s unlawful mandate. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of Priests for Life, a national, Catholic, pro-life organization. Read more about this case here.
- On October 18, AFLC filed a motion in federal court, requesting an injunction to permit the display of our client’s nativity scene in light of a recent ruling from the Sixth Circuit, which held in our favor. For over 60 years, John Satawa and his family had displayed a nativity scene during the Christmas season on a public median in Warren, Michigan. After the local Road Commission received a threatening letter from an atheist organization, it ordered Satawa to remove the display. The Sixth Circuit held that the Road Commission violated Satawa’s constitutional rights. We are now fighting to have the nativity display restored for this Christmas season. Read more about this case here.
- On October 10, AFLC filed a petition for a writ of certiorari in the United States Supreme Court, asking the Court to review an appellate court decision which held that a federal taxpayer lacked “standing” to challenge the constitutionality of the federal government’s use of taxpayer funds to support sharia. In 2009, we filed a federal lawsuit alleging that the U.S. government’s takeover and financial bailout of AIG violated the Establishment Clause because taxpayer dollars were directly funding AIG’s sharia-based businesses. Read more about this case here.
- On October 5, a federal judge for the District of Columbia granted AFLC’s request for an injunction to halt the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s (WMATA) censorship of a pro-Israel/anti-jihad bus advertisement. The planned advertisement states, “In Any War Between the Civilized Man and the Savage, Support the Civilized Man. Support Israel. Defeat Jihad.” WMATA had originally refused to run the ad, citing fear of Muslim violence in light of current “world events.” Read more about AFLC’s victory here.
- And the list goes on….
As President Reagan once said, “Above all, we must realize that no arsenal is so formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women.”
May God bless America, and may His Providence guide this upcoming election.