Free Speech Heads to Supreme Court, As ADF Represents Students Silenced for Speaking Their Faith
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NOVEMBER 2020 | Volume XIII, Issue 4 The Battle To Save Women’s Sports PAGE 5 Is Caesars Palace More Essential Than Calvary Chapel? PAGE 19 Why Cancel Culture Is Harmful For All Americans PAGE 21 Speak Freely Free Speech Heads To Supreme Court, As ADF Represents Students Silenced For Speaking Their Faith Alliance Defending Freedom CONTENTS Minutes With Michael November 2020 Vol. XIII, Issue 4 re we in the battle Editor A for the long haul? The Long Haul Karen Kurtz Is our country By Michael Farris, President and CEO Senior Writer headed in the right Chris Potts direction? The answer Art Director to this question Jonathan Marshall involves far more than government and elections. To get a more complete picture, we should consider these questions as well: Are universities headed in the right Photography direction? Is the media headed in the right direction? Are major corporations Chelsea Dayton-Thomas headed in the right direction? You get the drift. Bruce Ellefson John-Henry Keenan The far-left worldview has essentially seized control of many of these societal Simply Grace Photography institutions. How did this happen? The short answer is that those on the far left have played the long game. They have Contributors taken control of the university system and programs for teacher training. The result Michael Farris Garry Leist has now worked its way into corporate America — to the point that I now believe one Jane Scharl of the most politically dangerous forces in our country is major corporations. So what Jeremy Tedesco can we do about this? One of the most important answers is to invest in programs Steve West COVER STORY of excellence that will give freedom a chance in the long haul. 9 Speak Freely n Constitution Day, September 17, I rode my bike 107 Free Speech Heads To Supreme Court, O miles to raise money for programs that are making As ADF Represents Students Silenced significant contributions to the cause of American freedom. The ride, in part, supported Blackstone Legal For Speaking Their Faith Fellowship, ADF’s premier training program for America’s law students. Each year, Blackstone takes COLUMNS 160 of the best and the brightest academically (who also demonstrate a solid faith in Christ) and brings them into a program of Christian worldview training 2 Minutes with Michael and career development. The Long Haul Blackstone Fellows are in high demand as Facebook.com/AllianceDefendingFreedom judicial law clerks and in other influential legal settings, but we are starting to see even greater 3 News & Quick Takes Twitter: @AllianceDefends Case Updates From Throughout The World evidence of the value of this long-term strategy. Instagram.com/AllianceDefendingFreedom The program is now in its 21st year, and some 5 Special Feature Blackstone Fellows have now become federal and YouTube.com/AllianceDefends state judges, partners in prominent firms, law The Battle To Save Women’s Sports professors, and leaders in major government and In Idaho And Beyond Questions or comments on this issue? corporate offices. Blackstone is one of the critical Email [email protected]. elements in the long-term battle for freedom. 8 Alliance Profile 15100 N. 90th Street, Scottsdale, AZ 85260 I finished my Constitution Day ride in a little Michael Tinubu ADFlegal.org | 800-835-5233 over eight hours, encountering a trail closure due to construction and briefly getting lost along the way 19 My View (worthy causes are seldom easy!). But it was fun. Some of you supported my ride for the cause of Is Caesars Palace More Essential DONATE: ADFlegal.org/fj-donate freedom, and many others have given to support ADF Than Calvary Chapel? programs including Blackstone through other donation Referral to websites not produced by Alliance efforts. I’m grateful for your support. 21 Opinion Defending Freedom is for informational purposes In whatever way you choose to engage, I hope you will Cancel Culture: Harmful For All Americans only and does not constitute an endorsement. join this battle for the long haul. 1 2 Tallahassee, Florida News & Quick Takes ADF filed a lawsuit against Florida State University officials after the school sanctioned the unconstitutional Case Updates From Around The World retaliation against the FSU student senate president for sharing his religious beliefs with other students. Ellinor Grimmark (left) and Linda Steen in front of the European Court In a private conversation, Jack Denton noted that of Human Rights, which declined to BlackLivesMatter.com, Reclaim the Block, and the hear their religious freedom case ACLU advocate for causes opposed to Catholic teaching and that Catholic students might wish to avoid supporting the organizations financially. After Louisville, Kentucky another student took screenshots of Denton’s private messages and shared them on social media, student New York City Sweden A federal district court issued an order that senators mocked and misrepresented his remarks. halts enforcement of a Louisville law against They removed him from leadership as the student The New York City Council agreed to pay $100,000 The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) a photographer and blogger while her artistic senate president two days later. in attorneys’ fees and nominal damages declined to hear the case of two Swedish after it repealed a law that censored midwives who were denied employment in freedom lawsuit moves forward in court. ORDERED TO PAY ADF attorneys represent Chelsey Nelson in ADF attorneys sent two letters to university officials private conversations between Sweden after refusing to perform abortions. challenging a local law that forces her to advising them to address the violation of Denton’s First counseling professionals Linda Steen and Ellinor Grimmark were use her artistic talents to promote same-sex Amendment freedoms. When the university ratified the and their patients. 150,000 EUROS refused employment when they made wedding ceremonies if she photographs and unconstitutional removal, ADF attorneys filed the lawsuit. ADF attorneys their pro-life stance clear. Steen’s IN LEGAL COSTS blogs about weddings between one man and representing would-be employer told her, “It is not one woman. The court also denied the city’s Orthodox Jewish our policy or our approach to leave any opening for a conscience request to throw out the lawsuit. psychotherapist clause.” Grimmark faced a similar situation. A county court ruled Additionally, the Louisville law Dovid Schwartz filed a against her, then ordered her to pay legal costs of 150,000 euros forbids Nelson and her studio, federal lawsuit to halt (equivalent to $177,900 in U.S. dollars). Chelsey Nelson Photography, enforcement of the law, In its written decision, the ECtHR agreed that Sweden had from publicly explaining on her which violated Schwartz’s interfered with the rights of these midwives. But in failing to take up studio’s website or social media freedom of speech and the case, “the decision marks a dangerous departure from the court’s sites the religious reasons infringed on his religious faith purpose in protecting fundamental freedoms,” says Robert Clarke, deputy why she can only celebrate and that of his patients. Dovid Schwartz Jack Denton director of ADF International. wedding ceremonies between one man WATCH a video highlighting this case and one woman. at ADFlegal.org/fj-schwartz Front Royal, Virginia Finland Group prayers before meals are now permitted Adopted in 2018, the law made it illegal to provide In August, Päivi Räsänen, a member of at a Virginia senior center, following intervention professional services that helped people address the Finnish Parliament, faced her third by ADF Allied Attorneys Robert Showers and unwanted same-sex attractions or confusion over police interrogation after publicly voicing William R. Thetford Jr. gender identity. At the same time, counselors were her opinion on marriage and family. The allowed to help clients explore or gain comfort Finnish prosecutor general suspects her Prior to the attorneys’ action, public prayer was with same-sex attraction or transgender identities. of “ethnic agitation,” a crime punishable Scottsdale, Arizona not permitted at Warren County Senior Center, with up to two years imprisonment. ADF’s Freedom Matters video series has where older adults gather for meals and other marked more than 15 million views since activities. The Virginia Department of Aging and The ongoing legal harassment of Räsänen launching in May. Rehabilitative Services and the Shenandoah I will not back down from my started in June 2019, after she posted a Area Agency on Aging, which administers the tweet directed at her church’s leadership, Freedom Matters is a long-term campaign center, prohibited staff, volunteers, and clients views. I will not be intimidated questioning its official sponsorship of devoted to raising the importance of WATCH the videos at from having group prayers before meals, Helsinki’s “Pride 2019” event. Räsänen fundamental freedoms ADF fights for in the adflegal.org/freedom-matters claiming that such would constitute the unlawful into hiding my faith. has already attended two lengthy police minds of new audiences. Primarily focused use of federal funds for religious activities. interviews about the tweet as well as on key ADF free speech and religious liberty cases, videos are posted and a pamphlet she wrote 16 years ago on promoted through social media channels. Recent topics include “We Can Do Better After Showers and Thetford’s intervention, the human sexuality. ADF International is Päivi Räsänen Than Mere ‘Tolerance’” and “How the Government Punished a Family Business.” no-prayer policy was rescinded. Päivi‘‘ Räsänen supporting her defense. 4 3 Special Feature Fair Play The Battle To Save Women’s Sports In Idaho And Beyond By Steve West Madi Kenyon represents Idaho State at the 2019 Big Sky Conference indoor track championship, where male athlete June adison Kenyon was just 3 when she kicked her first Eastwood easily beat female competitors to win the women’s mile.