As we kick off a new year fighting for faith and freedom, we want to thank all of our clients and donors for being an important and necessary part of our work.
Here are the highlights for January:
* On January 2, we filed a notice of appeal in our case filed on behalf of a Christian family that is being deprived of the use and enjoyment of their rural home in Michigan by a neighboring marijuana facility. When our client complained to the Township about the illicit operation of this facility, Township officials retaliated against him by issuing bogus zoning violations.
While marijuana production is legal in Michigan, it remains a violation of federal law. One of the main claims advanced in this case is an alleged violation of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, in addition to claims that the facility is a public nuisance and that the retaliation against our clients is a violation of the First Amendment.
We are working on our opening brief, which is due on February 23.
* Last month, we completed the briefing for our appeal in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit in the case we filed on behalf of Andrew Hess. We are defending Hess against the politicized prosecution launched against him by Karen McDonald, the Oakland County Prosecutor who is running to be the Democrat nominee for Michigan Attorney General.
McDonald is pursuing a 20-year felony charge against Hess for making an off-hand political comment in a near-empty lobby outside of the presence of any election official during a contentious election recount held in the county in December 2023.
We filed this federal lawsuit to halt this unlawful prosecution, which was designed to silence individuals who challenge the actions of election officials.
You can read more about this case here.
Oral argument before the Sixth Circuit is now scheduled for March 19 in Cincinnati, Ohio.
We also successfully negotiated a stipulation with the Oakland County prosecutor to stay any criminal enforcement against Hess until our appeal is resolved in this civil case.
* On January 19, we filed our preliminary witness list, and on January 21, we filed a deposition notice, seeking to take the deposition of Genoa Township, Michigan in our religious land use lawsuit filed against the Township on behalf of Catholic Healthcare International, Inc. (CHI) and its president.
At issue is the Townshipâs denial of CHIâs request to develop a prayer campus and modest adoration chapel on its wooded, 40-acre property in the Township.
The case is now in the discovery phase.
The lawsuit alleges a violation of the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA), a federal law that prohibits religious discrimination when making land use decisions.
You can read more about this case here.
* On January 21, we had a scheduling conference in the U.S. District Court for the District of Idaho in our case against the City of Moscow, which we filed on behalf of Nate Wilson and his two sons.
As alleged in the lawsuit, the City has selectively enforced its laws against our clients based on their religious beliefs and their affiliation with Christ Church, a local and conservative Christian community.
The presiding federal judge previously denied the Cityâs motion to dismiss the gravamen of the claims, including the Wilsonsâ claims that the Cityâs ordinance that was applied against them is unconstitutional and that the Cityâs selective enforcement of the law violated the First and Fourteenth Amendments.
The case has now entered the discovery phase.
You can read more about this case here.
* On January 23, AFLC celebrated its 14th Anniversary fighting for faith and freedom in courtrooms and in the public square throughout our great country!
* AFLC has been working throughout the month of January advising various parties working in Texas and elsewhere to outlaw Sharia (Islamic law) as the modus operandi of jihad and sedition.
In addition, we have been advising Texas and Florida groups regarding the implementation of the American Laws for American Courts model legislation (ALAC), drafted by senior counsel David Yerushalmi.
ALAC has already passed in several states, has never been successfully challenged, and has already been used to preclude the use of sharia in US courts.
We have many other important cases at various stages of litigation. You can read more about our work on our website.
Thank you for your prayers and financial support. We couldnât do what we do without them!