Posted on 07/10/2018 10:37:45 AM PDT by servo1969
An Alaska law firm has been accused of violating a city's nondiscrimination ordinance after it provided legal representation to a Christian women's shelter accused of violating the same ordinance.
The Anchorage Equal Rights Commission filed a formal complaint against Brena, Bell & Clarkson, charging the law firm with committing "unlawful discriminatory acts or practices" in violation of a city ordinance regarding sex and gender identity.
Its alleged crime is punishable by fines and possible jail time.
In early 2018, Kevin Clarkson was asked to represent the Downtown Hope Center, a faith-based nonprofit that provides free shelter for homeless women and abused women.
In February the shelter turned away a biological male who identifies as a female. Shelter leadership said the individual was intoxicated.
However, as a religious organization, it does not house biological men in its abused-women's shelter because doing so would traumatize abused and battered women.
The transgender person filed a complaint against the shelter citing the policy over sexual orientation and gender identity.
It was in the context of that incident that Clarkson made comments to local news media regarding the case. And that's why he's now facing charges.
The law firm is being represented by First Liberty Institute, one of the nation's top legal groups specializing in religious liberty cases.
"It's the most outrageous case I've ever seen," First Liberty's Hiram Sasser told the "Todd Starnes Radio Show." "Because he wrote a brief to the commission defending the shelter and portions of that brief were quoted in the media -- he is accused of being in violation of their provision that prohibits you from talking about a policy."
It raises serious questions about whether American citizens or organizations that are accused of violating sex and gender laws are eligible to receive legal assistance.
"You should be able to have legal counsel and that legal counsel should be able to represent you in court," Sasser told me. "In Alaska they don't see it that way."
First Liberty said the Anchorage Equal Rights Commission is charging its client simply for representing its client.
"This has a tremendous chilling effect on any lawyer who would represent a homeless woman's shelter," Sasser said. "To go after the lawyer -- that sends a message to all the other lawyers: Don't take on these cases or we will come for you too. That's extremely scary."
Every American citizen should have their day in court. To deny someone legal representation because you don't like his or her religious viewpoints is unthinkable.
Under the city's ordinance it's not out of the realm of possibility that even First Liberty Institute could face charges simply for representing the local attorney.
"We are fully prepared if they charge us," Sasser said.
Pamela Basler, the executive director of the Anchorage Equal Rights Commission, did not return calls seeking comment.
Yeah, I want male vagrants in homeless shelters for women. What could go wrong?
The Anchorage Equal Rights Commission deserves the same equal rights as any other anti-American terrorist organization.
They want religion othat than Islam to be illegal.
Time to redistribute the population onto next spring’s ice floes.
Pretty basic stuff, in Anglo-American jurisprudence.
Wow! This should someday go up to the SCOTUS. Problem is, it takes years to work though the court system. The costs are prohibitive for most individuals and organizations. Justice delayed is often genuinely denied. But again, wow that we have sunk so low as a country that some dude claiming to “identify” as a woman should be able to insinuate himself among homeless and/or abused women. Why should his totally phony rights as a make believe woman supercede the rights of the real women and the shelter serving them?
It’s like on college campuses today, objecting to a Title IX charge is itself a violation of Title IX.
Time to file an anti-SLAPP against the city for punitive damages.
They’ll try to remove the right to council for those accused of violating their phony laws next time they have power.
They’ve already tipped their hand on the secret ballot; they tried to get rid of that in Obama’s first term, and they’ll try again next chance they get.
Turn reality upside down, and you can turn the rule of law against the people it was intended to protect.
Turn the rule of law upside down, and the Constitution becomes a weapon, not a shield.
Sure reads that way ... obvious first amendment violations with this...among other issues.
Moral of the story:
When faced with an LGBT conundrum as the shelter did, you have two choices:
1) Accede to their demands.
2) Kill them on the spot.
I think even liberal lawyers will be concerned about the state limiting their ability to serve clients.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.