Federal Court Win & Israel Update

I am writing this from the airport in Tel Aviv, Israel, where I just arrived with a senior team from our European Center for Law and Justice working on a major project concerning religious freedom throughout the Middle East.  This will be an intense week for us as we meet with senior government officials to continue to advance the cause of freedom globally.  I will be giving updates and reports in the days ahead, as well as posting pictures on the website so that you can get a sense of whats happening here in Israel.  We will also be broadcasting our radio program, Jay Sekulow Live!, from Israel each day, so you will want to listen in for up-to-the-minute news and information.

I am happy to report that the case we argued in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia ten days ago has been concluded successfully in favor of our client.  One of the areas of law that we have been concerned about has been to make sure that houses of worship are protected from obtrusive and unlawful protests.  Whether in the context of funerals for our military men and women or for religious worship services that are taking place at a church, our job is to make sure that the free exercise of religion is allowed to take place.  After our arguments were presented, the court issued an order completely in our favor, dismissing the lawsuits that were brought against our client.  This represents a significant victory for freedom and especially for the free exercise of religion.

I also want to give you a quick update on the lobbying reform issue.  I received word on my trip over that Congress may, in fact, move to include the grassroots lobbying prohibitions as early as this week as a bill moves through the House of Representatives.  I mentioned earlier that this would be a significant restriction on free speech, especially for churches, ministries and other organizations that address the social issues of our time.  The First Amendment protects the right to petition the government for redress of grievances.  This bill would curtail that right in an unconstitutional manner.  It is unwise and unconstitutional.  While we are prepared to litigate if necessary, the first order of business is to see if we can defeat the bill in the House as we did in the Senate.  In this regard, I have instructed our Government Affairs staff today to launch a major effort in this regard.  I hope to be bringing a radio update this afternoon and later in the week as this issue progresses through the House.  Drew Ryun with our Office of Government Affairs has posted a memo for your information.  More reports coming.