Free Republic

The Supreme Court of the United States – in a 7-2 decision – upheld the constitutionality of the Protect Act of 2003 – a federal law that gives prosecutors new tools to target those who market and pander in online child pornography. This is a significant victory that moves to protect the most vulnerable in our society – our children. And, it is a victory for Congress, which has spent many years trying to come up with a law that would punish those responsible for the ever-increasing problem of child pornography on the Internet and clear constitutional hurdles – efforts...

By a vote of 4-3, the California Supreme Court struck down a state ban on same-sex marriage – changing the definition of marriage by judicial fiat. The decision is a disappointing one and represents another example of an activist judiciary that overreached by taking this issue out of the hands of the state legislature where it belongs. The California high court failed to uphold what the state legislature and an overwhelming majority of California voters clearly understand – that the institution of marriage is limited to one man and one woman.

A community college in New York has been presented with a demand letter from the American Center for Law and Justice to halt a professor's classroom practices that allegedly have damaged at least one student – so far. The letter from the ACLJ targets Suffolk County Community College and will be the prelude to a federal lawsuit if the issue isn't resolved, the organization said. At issue is a professor's demand that students "change their own personal viewpoints or state that they are unsure of whether their own personal beliefs are correct" on religious issues, according to the letter. That...

Washington, DC) – The American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), focusing on constitutional law, said today it is demanding that a community college in New York end its hostility toward a Christian student who has been punished because of her religious beliefs. The ACLJ represents Gina DeLuca, a student at Suffolk County Community College (SCCC), who has received lower grades and has been labeled “closed-minded” by a professor who requires students to acknowledge the possibility that God does not exist in order to participate in a philosophy class. The ACLJ has sent a letter demanding that the school end...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court said on Monday it would decide whether a religious group must be allowed to put its monument in a city park near a similar Ten Commandments display. The justices agreed to hear an appeal by the city, Pleasant Grove in Utah, arguing that a lower-court ruling for the religious group could affect whether cities around the nation must display privately donated monuments on public property. The Summun religious group, founded in Salt Lake City in 1975, sought to erect a monument to the tenets of its faith, called the "Seven Aphorisms," in a...

First off thanks in advance. I have a grand daughter that has been taken by the state of Maine, And have done so against the family wishes. I need any website or lawyers that can be of help, I do have a call into the aclj Please keep this thread up I need your input.

Legal Group Pushes to Defund Planned Parenthood By Penny Starr CNSNews.com Senior Staff Writer March 07, 2008 (CNSNews.com) - The American Center for Law and Justice, a conservative organization in Washington, D.C., has launched an aggressive petition drive to end all federal funding of Planned Parenthood, the leading abortion provider in America, which receives nearly $300 million each year in taxpayer dollars. Jay Sekulow, chief counsel for the ACLJ, said part of the inspiration for the petition drive came from recent articles by Cybercast News Service on Planned Parenthood. "In part, the story about Teenwire.com created a whole new level...

CNSNews.com) - A conservative civil liberties group said it will proceed with a lawsuit against the Portland, Maine, School Committee for refusing the reconsider its policy on prescription contraceptives for middle school students as young as 11. "This is an issue where the rights of parents must be protected," said Jay Sekulow, chief counsel of the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), which specializes in constitutional law. "This is not only bad public policy but a violation of state law that simply cannot be ignored. There is tremendous outrage and disgust over the Committee's usurpation of parental responsibility to...

I was listening to Jay Seculo's radio show on Christian radio today, and for two days in a row, they mentioned Duncan Hunter. Today they said that Duncan Hunter, who worked with them (aclj.org) in keeping the Mt. Soledad Cross standing, is in the process of crafting legislation that would take away from Columbia University some of the federal funding because they allowed Ahmadinejad on the stage. You can hear the comments about Duncan Hunter for yourself, by clicking the link. It is at the beginning of the show, and the rest of the show is also excellent regarding Columbia...

In this time, when bad news and ominous portent is so rampant, I can't resist passing along especially great news when it comes my way. Sometimes the din of despair – about hurricanes, earthquakes, economic downturns, accelerating terrorist threats, vast numbers of illegal aliens, health care and looming Social Security insolvency, melting ice caps, droughts, floods, unprecedented low approval ratings for Congress and the president – is almost deafening. And certainly disheartening! Furthermore, in my new memoir, "Pat Boone's America: 50 Years," I express my deep and growing concern about our moral drift and the obvious decline in our culture's...

Last week's decision by the 9th Circuit Court to remove a solitary Roman cross from a World War I veterans memorial in California's Mojave Desert has drawn an angry response from the American Legion, a major association of U.S. veterans. "Today's lawyers and judges are outlawing the values and religious symbols that the Founding Fathers revered and proclaimed as the very foundation of the American republic," Conatser, head of the 2.7 million-member American Legion, said in a recent press release. "Today it's a memorial. Tomorrow, these same judges can order the removal of crosses on veterans gravestones, the dismissal of...

There are people in your community that so hate what you have to say, they are willing to put a gun to your head to stop you from speaking; even if they have to do so vicariously using the police powers of government. They hate it when you talk about God. They hate it when you pray. They hate to see you reading your bible. And they absolutely hate it when you share these in a public forum. Their hatred of God and His word has so filled their hearts, they want you silenced. Senate Bill S.1105 is the so-called...

In the early days of inter-continental ballistic missiles the only deterrent to them was known as the anti-inter-continental ballistic missile. In this day of ACLU wrangling and Christian bashing the top anti-intercontinental ballistic missile for religious freedoms in America is the ACLJ, hands down.

In the early days of continental ballistic missiles the only deterrent to them was known as the anti-continental ballistic missile. In this day of ACLU wrangling and Christian bashing the top anti-intercontinental ballistic missile for religious freedoms in America is the ACLJ, hands down.

Protect Unborn Babies The moment the Supreme Court of the United States issued a partial-birth abortion decision — ruling on the side of LIFE — Senate and House liberals began to cry foul. In a serious attempt to undercut the highest court of our land and thwart the pro-life movement, Rep. Nadler and Sens. Clinton, Schumer, and Boxer introduced legislation, the "Freedom of Choice" Act, that would overturn the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act and prohibit any future congressional endeavor to protect the life of the unborn on a federal level. It is a selfish, political play by House and Senate...

WASHINGTON, November 8, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Moments after the hearing of oral arguments in the partial-birth abortion case before the United States Supreme Court today, a pro-life lawyer involved in the case is predicting a "major victory". Jay Sekulow, Chief Counsel for the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), said that he is convinced the ban on partial birth abortion will be ruled constitutional. The ACLJ has filed amicus briefs in both cases before the Supreme Court - including one on behalf of some 80 members of Congress - including the sponsors of the federal ban on the gruesome...

Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- A pro-life law firm has filed a brief with the Supreme Court in the case concerning the Congressional-approved ban on partial-birth abortions. The American Center for Law and Justice told the court to reject the argument made by abortion advocates that abortion is safer than childbirth.After President Bush signed the partial-birth abortion ban, pro-abortion groups launched three lawsuits against it and federal appeals courts in Nebraska, New York and California declared the ban unconstitutional.The ACLJ has already filed a brief in the Nebraska case and submitted papers in the California case on Thursday.“Yet again we see...

Religious Right Power Brokers The Top Ten by Rob BostonThe United States is home to dozens of Religious Right groups. Many have small budgets and focus on state and local issues; the most powerful organizations conduct nationwide operations, command multi-million-dollar bank accounts and attract millions of followers. They have disproportionate clout in the halls of Congress, the White House and the courts, and they wield enormous influence within the political system.What follows is a list of the nation’s Top Ten Religious Right groups, as determined by publicly available financial data and political prominence. (For budgetary data, Church & State used...

WASHINGTON, D.C., June 19, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The Supreme Court is set to revisit a second Bush Administration appeal that seeks to reinstate a ban on partial birth abortion, reports the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ). The ACLJ, which specializes in constitutional law, said it is pleased the Supreme Court has decided to hear the case, which involves the constitutionality of the national ban on partial-birth abortion. “The Supreme Court took a significant step today that clearly puts the issue of partial-birth abortion front-and-center,” said Jay Sekulow, Chief Counsel of the ACLJ, which litigates pro-life issues. “By taking...

Stop the ACLU! The ACLU has done it again. In their campaign to rid our country of every vestige of God and Christianity, they have convinced a federal judge to order the removal of a cross from San Diego’s Mount Soledad memorial to heroes of the Korean War. We must fight back to save this religious symbol from demolition! Please read the form carefully and declare your membership with the ACLJ by signing the Petition below. Petition to Save San Diego’s Mount Soledad Cross President George W. Bush Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger of California Mayor Jerry Sanders of San Diego U.S....

Below is a copy of an e-mail I received from the ACLJ concerning the efforts of the Americans United for the Separation of Church and State (Americans United for Communism ;-), "Humble Howard" Dean and others to stop our Priests, Pastors, Ministers and others from silencing our churches on speaking out on issues of Morality and other issues of the day, which any church should have the freedom to discuss without fear of losing their tax-exempt status. This Petition supports H.R. 235, the "Houses of Worship Free Speech Restoration Act." The ACLJ is not asking for donations to sign this...

Congressman Sees Progress in Military Prayer Issue Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2006 Posted: 9:18:27AM EST The lawmaker leading a congressional drive against Air Force guidelines encouraging non-sectarian prayers in certain situations is confident that the White House is looking into the matter, according to the legislator’s spokeswoman. Rep. Walter Jones (R-N.C.) discussed the contested military policy last Thursday with President Bush’s Domestic Policy Advisor Claude Allen, and was confident that the matter would receive more attention within the Bush administration. “The Congressman was very pleased, because he felt that [Allen] had a good grasp of the issue,” said spokeswoman Kathleen Joyce....

EAST WINDSOR -- Santa will be back in the schools next year. After they noticed that Christmas decorations were being removed from the schools, a couple of parents approached the schools superintendent, suggesting that his interpretation of a letter sent by the Anti-Defamation League was wrong....After consulting the conservative American Center for Law and Justice, LaMonde said, they found that federal court precedents do allow such things as singing Christmas carols with religious themes and displaying religious symbols during Christmas. They also learned that teachers can discuss the origins of the symbols in a historical context. Superintendent of Schools Joseph...

A pattern of hostility to free speech - specifically the rights of Christians to pray - is on the rise in our country. We saw it in our nation’s public schools ... where prayer was officially banned. We have seen it in our workplaces. Now, our United States military seems to have “jumped on the bandwagon” ... with Air Force leadership recently releasing proposed guidelines that will restrict how Air Force chaplains can pray. If approved, these guidelines may well be implemented throughout the entire Armed Forces. This is an outrage that we cannot allow! Already, it is documented that...

WASHINGTON, December 22, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) issued a report today on efforts to protect the constitutional right of U.S. military chaplains to pray according to their faith. 160,000 people from across the United States have signed on to a national petition urging President Bush to enact an Executive Order protecting the constitutional rights of military chaplains to pray according to their faith. The petition campaign is in conjunction with efforts underway in Congress – spearheaded by Rep. Walter Jones of North Carolina – urging President Bush to act. ACLJ states that “Military...

The American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) announced today that legal action is underway in defense of two pharmacists who were fired for refusing to hand out abortifacient drugs. “These Conscience Clause cases are significant and represent the cutting edge of the abortion debate in our country right now;” ACLJ said in a statement to the press. “Doctors, nurses and pharmacists should not be compelled to violate their conscience and participate in an abortion procedure. We have already had success in a number of cases around the country, and we are confident that we will succeed in Illinois as...

To pray -- or not to pray -- in Jesus' name is the question plaguing an increasing number of U.S. military chaplains, one of whom began a multiday hunger strike outside the White House yesterday. "I am a Navy chaplain being fired because I pray in Jesus' name," said Navy Lt. Gordon Klingenschmitt, who will be holding 6 p.m. prayer vigils daily in Lafayette Park. The hunger strike is intended to persuade President Bush to issue an executive order allowing military chaplains to pray according to their individual faith traditions. The American Center for Law and Justice has gathered 173,000...

A U.S. appeals court today upheld the decision of a lower court in allowing the inclusion of the Ten Commandments in a courthouse display, hammering the American Civil Liberties Union and declaring, "The First Amendment does not demand a wall of separation between church and state." Attorneys from the American Center for Law and Justice successfully argued the case on behalf of Mercer County, Ky., and a display of historical documents placed in the county courthouse. The panel voted 3-0 to reject the ACLU's contention the display violated the Establishment Clause of the Constitution. The county display the ACLU sued...

Looks like it could be interesting.

This morning I have authorized the filing of briefs to the U.S. District Court on behalf of the city of Las Cruces, New Mexico. As you will recall, several weeks ago members of Americans United for Separation of Church and State (AU) filed a federal lawsuit challenging the Las Cruces city seal. That seal depicts three crosses as part of its presentation. When translated into English, “Las Cruces” actually means “the crosses.” AU and its allies have made the determination to remove this reference to the religious heritage of New Mexico. Below is the content of a letter that I...

WASHINGTON, November 22, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – After almost 20 years of harassing litigation, the case of National Organization for Women v. Scheidler, Operation Rescue and three other pro-life defendants is heading back to the US Supreme Court for an unprecedented third time. With oral arguments scheduled to take place on Nov. 30 at the high court, at issue is a federal appeals court decision that purported to reopen the case despite the Supreme Court's complete rejection of NOW's lawsuit in 2003. “We are hopeful that the high court will reinforce what it said two years ago and finally bring this...

A pattern of hostility to free speech - specifically the rights of Christians to pray - is on the rise in our country. We saw it in our nation’s public schools ... where prayer was officially banned. We have seen it in our workplaces. Now, our United States military seems to have “jumped on the bandwagon” ... with Air Force leadership recently releasing proposed guidelines that will restrict how Air Force chaplains can pray. If approved, these guidelines may well be implemented throughout the entire Armed Forces. This is an outrage that we cannot allow! Already, it is documented that...

Ninety members of Congress filed a brief yesterday with a federal appeals court declaring support for the U.S. Defense Department in its sponsorship of the Boy Scouts of America's national jamboree. The department's backing of the quadrennial event, attended this year by more than 40,000 Scouts, was opposed in a 1999 lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union. The ACLU contends federal government sponsorship violates the First Amendment, because the Boy Scouts require members to swear an oath to "do my duty to God and my country." The next jamboree is scheduled for 2010 to coincide with the 100th...

The American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) filed a brief with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit in Chicago on Tuesday, November 8th, 2005, in Winkler v. Rumsfeld, a case involving the Boy Scouts of America. The brief was filed on behalf of the ACLJ as well as eighty-eight current members of the United States Congress. For almost sixty years, the United States military has provided supplies and services in support of the Boy Scouts' National Scout Jamboree held every four years. The military has supported the Boy Scouts because of their commitment to patriotism, good...

But there is another side to Jay Sekulow, one that, until now, has been obscured from the public. It is the Jay Sekulow who, through the ACLJ and a string of interconnected nonprofit and for-profit entities, has built a financial empire that generates millions of dollars a year and supports a lavish lifestyle -- complete with multiple homes, chauffeur-driven cars, and a private jet [...][snip] That less-known side of Sekulow was revealed in several interviews with former associates of his and in hundreds of pages of court and tax documents reviewed by Legal Times. Critics say Sekulow's lifestyle is at...

Just the week before, Jay Sekulow, chief counsel of the American Center for Law and Justice, had cheerfully predicted that Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers had “turned the corner” and would never withdraw her name from consideration. Now, a few hours after Miers proved him dead wrong, Sekulow sounded as upbeat as ever. “She did the noble thing,” Sekulow told the million-plus people listening to his daily radio show on Christian stations last Thursday, adding, confidentially, “I saw this coming.” The next nominee, he predicted, would be a sitting judge just as worthy of support as Miers. It was vintage...

The American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), specializing in constitutional law said today that a Senate questionnaire completed by Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers clearly shows that she is uniquely qualified to serve on the high court. "The responses to the questionnaire clearly show that the depth of real world experience — both in and out of the courtroom — uniquely qualifies Harriet Miers for a seat on the Supreme Court of the United States," said Jay Sekulow, Chief Counsel of the ACLJ. "After reviewing the 57-page questionnaire, it is clear that the judicial philosophy of Harriet Miers respects...

The American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), specializing in constitutional law said today that Harriet Miers, the nominee named by President Bush for a seat on the Supreme Court of the United States, is an excellent choice who represents the conservative mainstream of judicial philosophy of interpreting the Constitution, not re-writing it. “Once again, President Bush showed exceptional judgment in naming Harriet Miers to the Supreme Court to replace Justice O’Connor,” said Jay Sekulow, Chief Counsel of the ACLJ, who argues regularly before the high court and has a pro-life protest case at the high court this term. “At...

Jay Sekulow joins Leonard Leo: (Washington, DC) – The American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), specializing in constitutional law said today that Harriet Miers, the nominee named by President Bush for a seat on the Supreme Court of the United States, is an excellent choice who represents the conservative mainstream of judicial philosophy of interpreting the Constitution, not re-writing it. “Once again, President Bush showed exceptional judgment in naming Harriet Miers to the Supreme Court to replace Justice O’Connor,” said Jay Sekulow, Chief Counsel of the ACLJ, who argues regularly before the high court and has a pro-life protest...

Our 21st nationally-syndicated, one-hour radio show, “The American View,” co-hosted by myself and recovering Republican” John Lofton, was broadcast this past Sunday in 38 cities in 22 states. Hear it now (10,618 kb) On this program, we discuss Jay Sekulow’s strange view that Bush Supreme Court nominee John Roberts, in his confirmation hearing (which starts September 6), must not be asked about, and must not answer questions about, abortion or any abortion-related court decisions such as Roe v. Wade. We say this is strange because Sekulow and his organization, the “American Center For Law & Justice,” have raised millions of...

WASHINGTON, July 21 - For at least a year before the nomination of Judge John G. Roberts to the Supreme Court, the White House was working behind the scenes to shore up support for him among its social conservative allies, quietly reassuring them that he was a good bet for their side in cases about abortion, same-sex marriage and public support for religion. When the White House began testing the name of Judge Roberts on a short list of potential nominees, many social conservatives were skeptical. In hearings for confirmation to the United States Court of Appeals for the District...

The Talk Shows Sunday, June 12th, 2005 Guests to be interviewed today on major television talk shows: FOX NEWS SUNDAY (Fox Network): Sens. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.; The Committee for Justice chairman C. Boyden Gray; Alliance for Justice president Nan Aron. MEET THE PRESS (NBC): Sens. Specter, Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., Chris Dodd, D-Conn., and Chuck Hagel, R-Neb.; Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif. FACE THE NATION (CBS): Sens. Joseph Biden, D-Del., and Orrin Hatch, R-Utah; People for the American Way president Ralph Neas; American Center for Law and Justice chief counsel Jay Alan Sekulow. THIS WEEK...

Term paper about 'God' earns student failing grade 'He told me you might as well write about the Easter Bunny. He wanted to censor the word God.' VICTORVILLE — For using the "G" word 41 times in a term paper, Bethany Hauf was given an "F" by her Victor Valley Community College instructor. Hauf's teacher approved her term paper topic — Religion and its Place within the Government — on one condition: Don't use the word God. Instead of complying with VVCC adjunct instructor Michael Shefchik's condition Hauf wrote a 10-page report for her English 101 class entitled "In God...

For years the American Civil Liberties Union has pushed its agenda as to what the Constitution “really says,” and what freedom “really means” through judicial extortion. In 1978, the Supreme Court exempted the ACLU from the “ambulance chasing” prohibitions that apply to nearly every other lawyer in the country. Over the years this has enabled the ACLU’s legions of pro bono attorneys to specifically target various organizations they feel are vulnerable to their lawsuits, dredge the ranks of the “offended” until they can find someone who will agree to let the ACLU stick their name at the top of a...

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, interested in shoring up his standing in the influential US Evangelical Christian community, met eight leading Evangelical figures Tuesday, including Jay Sekulow, a high profile Messianic Jew. Sekulow, who runs a conservative civil liberties group called the American Center for Law & Justice that was set up by evangelist Pat Robertson, is considered close to US President George W. Bush and was one of three strategists charged by the White House with the task of getting Bush's controversial court nominees through the Senate.

Springfield, IL (LifeNews.com) -- Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich now faces a lawsuit over his executive order requiring pharmacists in the state to fill all legal prescriptions for any drugs -- including birth control or morning after pills that some pharmacists believe cause abortions. The American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), a pro-life law firm, filed suit in state court on behalf of two pharmacists who say dispensing such drugs violates their moral beliefs. They contend they should not be required to participate in the abortions the drugs may cause or to contribute to a customer's sexual activity. The ACLJ...

ACLJ Files Lawsuit Against Illinois Governor Charging Order Requiring Pharmacists to Dispense Medication that Violates Religious Beliefs is Unenforceable http://www.aclj.org/news/Read.aspx?ID=1475 April 13, 2005 (Springfield, IL) – The American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), which specializes in constitutional law, today filed a lawsuit in state court in Illinois on behalf of two pharmacists challenging Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich’s emergency amendment to the state code requiring pharmacists to dispense medication even if filling the prescriptions violate their conscience and religious beliefs. The ACLJ lawsuit charges that the Governor’s order is unenforceable and urges the court to declare it null and void...

I came to the courtroom early, before the proceedings began. The podium was adjustable, right? I lowered it. I'm five feet, seven and a half inches tall and the last thing I needed was to be standing up on the tips of my toes to reach the podium! When I came back later, for the proceedings, I looked in the back row and there, sitting all together, were my good friends, Moishe Rosen (founder of Jews for Jesus, and at the time, executive director), Tuvya Zaretsky, Susan Perlman and Russ Reed (three of Jews for Jesus' board members), plus my...

The latest rejection of the Terri Schiavo case by a federal court was accompanied by a stinging rebuke of Congress and President Bush from a seemingly unlikely source: Judge Stanley F. Birch Jr., one of the most conservative jurists on the federal bench. Birch authored opinions upholding Alabama's right to ban the sale of sex toys and Florida's ability to prohibit adoptions by gay couples. Both rulings drew the ire of liberal activists and the elation of traditional and social conservatives. Yet, in Wednesday's 11th Circuit Court of Appeals decision to deny a rehearing to Schiavo's parents, Birch went out...

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 21, 2005--The American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), which specializes in constitutional law, today filed an amicus brief with the U.S. District Court in Tampa which is hearing the Terri Schiavo case. The ACLJ supports the Department of Justice and Terri's parents in defending Terri's Law, which was passed by Congress and signed into law by President Bush. The ACLJ argues that Terri's feeding tube, which was removed on Friday, be restored without delay. "It is imperative that this court act to save the life of Terri Schiavo," said Jay Sekulow, Chief Counsel of the ACLJ, which...