Contents tagged with New York
Filed in: War on Terror | by Jay Sekulow | 2:52 PM Mar. 8, 2013
The Obama Doctrine - Kill American Terrorists Overseas, Try Foreign Terrorists in New York City
As an attorney who’s spent more than a dozen years protecting the right of both America and Israel to wage war against international terrorism, including appearances before the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court at the Hague, I’m stumped. My American Center for Law & Justices colleagues at our offices all over the world from Jerusalem, to France, to Washington, D.C. --who are even at this moment at an anti-terrorism conference in Israel -- are puzzled. ... Continue Reading
Filed in: Pro Life | by David French | 12:04 PM Jun. 19, 2012
Victory for Pro-Life Protesters
ACLJ received notice today from the New York City Law Department that it would withdraw summonses wrongfully issued by the NYPD to three residents of Brooklyn, New York for peacefully holding up pro-life signs on a public sidewalk near a public high school. All three protesters were holding pro-life signs designed to educate the public about the harsh realities of abortion when they were confronted by police. The officers handcuffed all three individuals, drove them to the precinct where they w... Continue Reading
Filed in: American Heritage | by Jordan Sekulow | 11:37 AM Jun. 18, 2012
‘God Bless the USA,’ except in our schools?
Nearly 30 years ago, Lee Greenwood wrote his famous patriotic ballad, “God Bless the USA.” It became a timeless symbol of patriotism following the horrific terrorist attacks of 9/11. Yet, in one New York City school, being “proud to be an America” has been deemed inappropriate for kindergartners. When Greta Hawkins, the principal at PS 90 in New York City, found out that “God Bless the USA” would be performed at a kindergarten graduation scheduled for next w... Continue Reading
Filed in: American Heritage | by Jay Sekulow | 10:29 AM Jun. 12, 2012
UPDATE: Bloomberg Boots Bieber Song, But "God Bless the USA" Still Banned
I told you yesterday about a school in Coney Island, New York where the principal removed Lee Greenwood's patriotic song, "God Bless the USA" from an upcoming graduation program for kindergarten students. The principal said the song was not "age appropriate" and could end up "offending other cultures." They replaced that song with Justin Bieber's song, "Baby." Now, a new development. Mayor Bloomberg has stepped in and announced that "Baby" is inappropriate for 5-year-olds and has been removed f... Continue Reading
Filed in: Free Speech | by David French | 3:03 PM Jan. 20, 2012
Mayor Bloomberg’s Double Standard on Religious Liberty
Last August, Mayor Bloomberg delivered one of the most transparently cynical speeches I’ve ever seen. Standing at Governor’s Island he framed his support for the controversial Ground Zero Mosque project as a defense of religious liberty itself. Reaching back to New York’s past, he described its rich religious heritage and then argued that the Ground Zero Mosque fit squarely within that tradition. His closing paragraph was particularly stirring: Political controversies come and... Continue Reading
Filed in: War on Terror | by David French | 2:35 PM Jul. 27, 2011
Does the Sight of a Cross in a Museum Give You Indigestion?
One of the most remarkable aspects of American Atheists’ lawsuit to remove the World Trade Center Cross from the September 11 Memorial and Museum is their allegation that the Cross has actually made the plaintiffs physically ill: The plaintiffs, and each of them, have suffered, are suffering, and will continue to suffer damages, both physical and emotional, from the existence of the challenged cross. Named plaintiffs have suffered, inter alia, dyspepsia, symptoms of depression, headache... Continue Reading
Filed in: Pro Life | by David French | 1:44 PM Jul. 13, 2011
A Victory for Life, and for Free Speech
I hate to interrupt the debt-limit discussions, but there is breaking news in the fight for life and for free speech. Literally moments ago, Judge William Pauley of the Southern District of New York enjoined a series of mandatory, onerous "disclosures" New York City had imposed on pro-life pregnancy service centers (the opinion is available here). These disclosures essentially required pregnancy service centers to warn away their own potential visitors. The city tried to justify these mandatory disclosures — a form of compelled speech imposed on pro-life non-profits — by arguing that the service centers' pro-life speech was a form of "commercial speech" because the centers gave away diapers, formula, and other items to aid young mothers. The city also argued that pro-life speech was "commercial speech" because it gave the center an opportunity to raise funds. Under such reasoning, free speech by nonprofits would essentially disappear. Interestingly, the New York Civil Libe... Continue Reading
Filed in: Ground Zero Mosque | by Jay Sekulow | 11:09 AM Jul. 11, 2011
Back to Court to Stop Ground Zero Mosque
We're going back to court in our legal challenge to stop the building of an Islamic mosque at Ground Zero in New York City. As you may recall, we provided arguments in March in New York State Supreme Court in our case. On Friday, the court issued its decision declaring that our client, 9-11 survivor and firefighter Tim Brown, lacked legal standing to challenge the politically motivated decision not to landmark a building that suffered a direct hit by one of the hijacked planes on 9-11. This is ... Continue Reading
Filed in: US Constitution | by Jay Sekulow | 2:46 PM Jun. 25, 2011
Keeping the Door Open for the Gospel in NY
It’s not uncommon. A small church continues to grow and requires more space for worship services. Often, leasing another building solves the problem. But what happens when the church runs into a roadblock in its desire to expand? That’s what happened to the Immanuel Church, which sought permission to lease a building in the commercial district of the Town of Schodack, New York, which is near Albany. The town refused the proper permit to the church on the grounds that religious o... Continue Reading
