A Victory for Religious Worship

Several weeks back, I wrote about the case we had in the United States District Court regarding the integrity and protection of worship services.  More and more across the country, groups seek to disrupt either funerals for our military personnel or religious worship services.  The increasing hostility aimed at religious worship services has caused cities and counties to pass ordinances protecting houses of worship from disruptive protests.

You will recall that two weeks ago, I appeared in U.S. District Court to argue for the protection of religious worship services from disruptive protests.  These protests are by the same groups that seek to interfere with the dignity and respect of our military funerals.  In this particular case, we found ourselves in federal court defending the well-intentioned police officers who sought to protect the integrity of the worship service for those participating.  I am happy to report that the U.S. District Court judge has ruled completely in our favor and has dismissed the case brought against these law enforcement officers who were seeking to protect not only the worshipers, but also the integrity of the service itself. 

We have literally engaged dozens of these kinds of cases around the country.  In doing so, we tend to represent cities and counties that are trying to protect worship services and military funerals from the kind of abuse weve seen detailed in press accounts.  The fact is that these laws are constitutional, and we are working side-by-side with police officers and city officials to ensure that these worship services take place without being interrupted.  While I expect an appeal in the U.S. District Court case, I am optimistic that we will continue to have success in these endeavors.