The opposition to the mandate and compromise put in place by the Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) continues to grow as pressure continues to be applied to HHS Secretary Sebelius. We have sent a detailed legal analysis to Secretary Sebelius on behalf of nearly 70,000 Americans - urging the Secretary to reverse the troubling regulations put in place - measures that violate religious liberty and the conscience rights of millions of Americans. We've been reporting in detail on the p   Continue Reading...

We were contacted by the Director of a Child Evangelism Fellowship organization in Pennsylvania. The organization had successfully started after-school Good News Club programs at various public schools in the area, but the Principal of one elementary school denied their request. Various curriculum-related and non-curriculum related activities and group meetings occurred at the school after hours, including Cub Scouts and Girl Scouts meetings. We spoke with the Director about the situation and s   Continue Reading...

As you know, the American Center for Law & Justice (“ACLJ”) represents individuals in a challenge to ObamaCare. The case, known as Seven-Sky v. Holder, Case No. 11-679, is pending at the United States Supreme Court on a petition for writ of certiorari. We raised two issues in the petition: (1) whether the individual mandate, the part of ObamaCare that requires millions of Americans, for the first time in our nation’s history, to purchase a product (health insurance) from   Continue Reading...

We are hearing reports from our contacts in Iran that the execution orders for Christian Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani may have been issued. Pastor Youcef’s situation – an innocent man convicted and sentenced to death for becoming a Christian – has not been this dire since we first brought his case to your attention last year. It is unclear whether Pastor Youcef would have a right of appeal from the execution order. We know that the head of Iran’s Judiciary, Ayatollah Sadegh   Continue Reading...

Just over a week ago, in an effort to show that not all Catholic institutions oppose the President’s alleged accommodation of religious groups and beliefs, the White House posted approving statements from two large Catholic groups: the Catholic Health Association (CHA), which represents over 1200 health care sponsors, and Catholic Charities USA, which serves over ten million people of all faiths each year. The White House’s strategy was clear: create an impression of some firm Cath   Continue Reading...

We have just received word from our contacts on the ground in Iran of an extremely dangerous turn of events for Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani. There is an increased likelihood that the Iranian regime will execute Pastor Youcef for his faith. Pastor Youcef’s case had been stalled due to increased international pressure and the Iranian court’s request that Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, decide Pastor Youcef’s fate. Now, because Pastor Youcef has continually refused   Continue Reading...

After the President announced last week his alleged accommodation of religious beliefs over the HHS mandate, the administration went into overdrive to convince Americans that the issue is not about religious freedom, but access to health services. According to the most recent poll on the issue, Americans don't seem to buying the White House spin. As is being reported, CNN found that those polled oppose the HHS mandate 50% to 44%. While civil liberties and constitutional rights are not subject   Continue Reading...

Representative Joe Pitts (PA-16), along with several other Members of Congress, just introduced a resolution today in Congress in support of Christian Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani. The resolution condemns “the Government of Iran for its continued persecution, imprisonment, and sentencing of Youcef Nadarkhani on the charge of apostasy,” and calls on the Iranian regime “to exonerate and immediately release Youcef Nadarkhani and all other individuals held or charged on account of the   Continue Reading...

Many of you are aware of the Freedom From Religion Foundation’s (FFRF) ridiculous effort to have a 60-year old war memorial in Montana taken down because it depicts Jesus. In fact, over 70,000 of you signed our letter urging the National Forest Service (NFS) to ignore the FFRF and renew the lease for this memorial on Big Mountain. Fortunately, the NFS listened and the lease was appropriately renewed. Predictably, as has become its rather frivolous habit, the FFRF has filed a lawsuit again   Continue Reading...

The Slavic Centre for Law and Justice (SCLJ) – the Russian affiliate of the ACLJ – has won a major victory for churches and the rule of law in an area of the world where churches still face heavy regulation from the state. The SCLJ won a case before the Constitutional Court of Russia that will help prevent prosecutors from filing frivolous lawsuits against churches and other citizens. As the SCLJ noted, in Russia, it is critical that “[e]ach action brought against the Church   Continue Reading...