USCA Case #17-5278 Document #1731946 Filed: 05/21/2018 Page 1 of 98 No. 17-5278 IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA CIRCUIT DANIEL BARKER, Plaintiff-Appellant, v. PATRICK CONROY, et al., Defendants-Appellees. On Appeal from a Final Judgment of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia Case No. 1:16-cv-00850-RMC, Hon. Rosemary M. Collyer BRIEF OF AMERICANS UNITED FOR SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE; AMERICAN ETHICAL UNION; ANTI-DEFAMATION LEAGUE; INTERFAITH ALLIANCE FOUNDATION; JEWISH SOCIAL POLICY ACTION NETWORK; NATIONAL COUNCIL OF JEWISH WOMEN; SIKH AMERICAN LEGAL DEFENSE AND EDUCATION FUND; SIKH COALITION; AND UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST ASSOCIATION AS AMICI CURIAE SUPPORTING APPELLANT AND REVERSAL RICHARD B. KATSKEE ALEX J. LUCHENITSER Counsel of record CLAIRE L. HILLAN Americans United for Separation of Church and State 1310 L Street NW, Suite 200 Washington, DC 20005 (202) 466-3234 [email protected] (Additional counsel for amici curiae are listed on the signature page.) USCA Case #17-5278 Document #1731946 Filed: 05/21/2018 Page 2 of 98 CERTIFICATE AS TO PARTIES, RULINGS, AND RELATED CASES Parties and Amici All parties, intervenors, and amici appearing before the district court and in this Court are listed in the Brief for Appellant, except for the following: American Humanist Association; Americans United for Separation of Church and State; Anti-Defamation League; American Ethical Union; Interfaith Alliance Foundation; Jewish Social Policy Action Network; Mark Pocan; National Council of Jewish Women; Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund; Sikh Coalition; and Unitarian Universalist Association. Rulings Under Review References to the rulings at issue appear in the Brief for Appellant. i USCA Case #17-5278 Document #1731946 Filed: 05/21/2018 Page 3 of 98 Related Cases To amici’s knowledge, this case has not previously been before this Court or any other court, and there are no related cases pending in this Court or in any other court. ii USCA Case #17-5278 Document #1731946 Filed: 05/21/2018 Page 4 of 98 CORPORATE DISCLOSURE STATEMENT Amici are all nonprofit organizations. They have no parent corporations, and no publicly held corporation owns any portion of any of them. Americans United for Separation of Church and State is a national, nonsectarian, nonpartisan educational and advocacy organization dedicated to advancing the constitutional principle of church–state separation as the only way to ensure freedom of religion, including the right to believe or not believe, for all Americans. The American Ethical Union is a national federation of Ethical Societies, which are nontheistic religious congregations. Founded in 1889, the AEU has 24 member groups in 12 states and the District of Columbia, and over 2,300 members and supporters. Anti-Defamation League was organized in 1913 to advance good will and mutual understanding among Americans of all creeds and races and to combat racial, ethnic, and religious prejudice in the United States. Today, ADL is one of the world’s leading organizations fighting hatred, bigotry, discrimination, and anti-Semitism. Interfaith Alliance Foundation is a nonprofit organization founded in 1994 that celebrates religious freedom by championing iii USCA Case #17-5278 Document #1731946 Filed: 05/21/2018 Page 5 of 98 individual rights, promoting policies to protect both religion and democracy, and uniting diverse voices to challenge extremism. Its members belong to 75 different faith traditions as well as no faith tradition. The Jewish Social Policy Action Network is a membership organization of American Jews dedicated to protecting the constitutional liberties and civil rights of Jews, other minorities, and the weak in our society. National Council of Jewish Women is a grassroots organization of 90,000 volunteers and advocates who turn progressive ideals into action. Inspired by Jewish values, NCJW strives for social justice by improving the quality of life for women, children, and families and by safeguarding individual rights and freedoms. Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund envisions a United States where all Americans are respected and recognized as a vibrant and integral part of the fabric of this nation. For more than 20 years we have provided a strong voice that advocates on behalf of all Americans to counter negative stereotypes and misrepresentations. The Sikh Coalition is a community-based civil-rights organization that defends civil liberties, including religious freedom, for iv USCA Case #17-5278 Document #1731946 Filed: 05/21/2018 Page 6 of 98 all Americans. Its mission is to promote educational awareness and advocacy and provide legal representation in moving toward a world where Sikhs and other religious minorities may freely practice their faith without bias or discrimination. The Unitarian Universalist Association comprises more than 1,000 Unitarian Universalist congregations nationwide and is dedicated to the principle of separation of church and state. v USCA Case #17-5278 Document #1731946 Filed: 05/21/2018 Page 7 of 98 TABLE OF CONTENTS CERTIFICATE AS TO PARTIES, RULINGS, AND RELATED CASES ....................................................................................... i CORPORATE DISCLOSURE STATEMENT........................................... iii TABLE OF CONTENTS ........................................................................... vi TABLE OF AUTHORITIES .................................................................... viii IDENTITY AND INTERESTS OF AMICI CURIAE ................................ 1 SUMMARY OF ARGUMENT .................................................................... 1 ARGUMENT ............................................................................................... 5 The Establishment Clause prohibits the House Chaplain from rejecting proposed guest chaplains based on their lack of belief in God .......................................................................................................... 5 A. Excluding nontheists from the guest chaplaincy violates the Establishment Clause’s prohibition against religious discrimination .......................................................................... 5 1. The Establishment Clause prohibits religious discrimination in the selection of guest chaplains ........ 5 2. Nontheistic belief systems such as atheism and Humanism are religions protected by the Establishment Clause’s anti-discrimination principle ........................................................................... 8 3. Even if atheism and Humanism were not entitled to treatment as religions, government must not favor religion over nonreligion ............................................... 13 vi USCA Case #17-5278 Document #1731946 Filed: 05/21/2018 Page 8 of 98 B. The House Chaplain’s policy for selecting guest chaplains necessitates improper religious inquiries by government ... 17 C. The assumptions underlying the district court’s decision are wrong ................................................................................ 20 1. Legislative invocations need not be theistic ................ 20 2. History does not justify discrimination against nontheists in the selection of guest chaplains ............. 24 CONCLUSION ......................................................................................... 31 CERTIFICATE OF COMPLIANCE ........................................................ 33 CERTIFICATE OF NECESSITY OF SEPARATE BRIEFS ................... 34 CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE .................................................................. 35 ADDENDUM A: Selected Nontheistic Invocations Presented by Nontheists to State and Local Governmental Bodies Across the United States ADDENDUM B: Invocations That Are Nontheistic or Arguably Nontheistic, Given to the Connecticut Senate by its Officers, April 28, 2003 through April 19, 2018 vii USCA Case #17-5278 Document #1731946 Filed: 05/21/2018 Page 9 of 98 TABLE OF AUTHORITIES† Cases Corp. of Presiding Bishop v. Amos, 483 U.S. 327 (1987) .............................................................................. 15 County of Allegheny v. ACLU Greater Pittsburgh Chapter, 492 U.S. 573 (1989) .............................................................................. 27 Cutter v. Wilkinson, 544 U.S. 709 (2005) ........................................................................ 14, 15 Engel v. Vitale, 370 U.S. 421 (1962) .............................................................................. 14 Epperson v. Arkansas, 393 U.S. 97 (1968) ............................................................................ 6, 13 Estate of Thornton v. Caldor, Inc., 472 U.S. 703 (1985) .............................................................................. 13 Fields v. Speaker of the Pa. House of Representatives, 251 F. Supp. 3d 772 (M.D. Pa. 2017) ................................................... 12 Glassroth v. Moore, 335 F.3d 1282 (11th Cir. 2003) ............................................................ 10 Harper v. Va. State Bd. of Elections, 383 U.S. 663 (1966) .............................................................................. 31 Hernandez v. Comm’r, 490 U.S. 680 (1989) .............................................................................. 17 Katcoff v. Marsh, 755 F.2d 223 (2d Cir. 1985) ................................................................. 15 Kaufman v. McCaughtry, 419 F.3d 678 (7th Cir. 2005) ...........................................................