Lively Arguments at the Supreme Court

 I've had an evening to reflect on the significant oral argument I was engaged in yesterday at the Supreme Court of the United States, and have posted a copy of the transcript here of what took place during the one-hour session. 

After leaving the oral argument and reviewing the transcript, Im very optimistic that we are going to see a successful conclusion to this extremely important case.  Youll remember one of the arguments I made in our briefs was that if the Tenth Circuit decision stayed in place, next to the Statue of Liberty on Liberty Island in New York could be erected a Statue of Tyranny.  Chief Justice of the United States John Roberts picked up on this line of argument and stated from the bench that under the Tenth Circuit decision, a Statue of Despotism could be erected next to the Statue of Liberty.  This emphasized whats at stake for our country in this case. 

Historic monuments and plaques serve as the institutional memory of many communities and cities throughout the United States.  This is one of the ways that governments tell the story about the unfolding drama of the United States and our significant community events.  It would be tragic if governments were faced with a choice of either removing these monuments or accepting all monuments, including those that not only do not reflect our history, but also hold in condemnation some of our greatest American heroes.  Already there are groups demanding to put up memorials chastising our soldiers and saying they deserve what they got when they were wounded or killed.  This is one of the reasons the United States Government filed briefs on our side and participated with me yesterday at oral argument.

I also want to say a huge Thank You to our entire staff who literally put in thousands of hours in preparing not only for the case but for the events and programs surrounding this historic event.  These are challenging times for our country, and my chance to appear yesterday at the Supreme Court reminded me of just how great America is among the nations.  We are a beacon of light for freedom and democracy.  We will stay that way as long as we remember our core principles which make us a great nation.  Hopefully and prayerfully, through this case, we will be able to reverse a court order that would have gone a long way in changing who we are and how we operate.  This is a significant time for our work at the American Center for Law and Justice, especially in Washington, DC.

In addition to finishing up at the Supreme Court yesterday, we dispatched a team to defend a state court judge who has a government history display in his courtroomincluding the Ten Commandmentswho is now being sued by the ACLU.  Ive also dispatched teams to the United Nations this week to combat the Defamation of Religions claims of the Organization of the Islamic Conference.  I am preparing to lead a team to Strasbourg, France to address a series of international issues impacting religious freedom and human rights in the Middle East. 

I will keep you updated as our Supreme Court case will probably have a decision by Spring.