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Alliance Defending Freedom

Topic: Organization

 From HandWiki - Reading time: 32 min

Short description: American Christian legal advocacy group
Alliance Defending Freedom
Logo of Alliance Defending Freedom
AbbreviationADF
FormationMarch 25, 1993; 31 years ago (1993-03-25)[1]
TypeNon-profit organization
54-1660459
HeadquartersScottsdale, Arizona[2]
Terry Schlossberg[3]
President and CEO
Kristen Waggoner[4]
Revenue (2022)
$104,490,113[5]
Expenses (2022)$81,311,475[5]
Endowment (2022)$20,295,829[5]
Employees (2022)
395[5]
Volunteers (2022)
1,351[5]
Website{{{1}}}
Formerly called
Alliance Defense Fund

The Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), formerly the Alliance Defense Fund, is an American conservative Christian legal advocacy group[6] that works to protect religious liberty, expand Christian practices within public schools and in government,[7][8] outlaw abortion,[9][10] and curtail LGBTQ rights.[11] In 2014, ADF literature described part of its mission as "[seeking] to recover the robust Christendomic theology of the 3rd, 4th, and 5th centuries."[12][13][14] ADF is headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona, with branch offices in several locations including Washington, D.C., and New York.[15] Its international subsidiary, Alliance Defending Freedom International, with headquarters in Vienna, Austria,[16] operates in over 100 countries.[17]

ADF is one of the most organized and influential Christian legal interest groups in the United States[18] based on its budget, caseload, network of allied attorneys, and connections to significant members of the political right.[19][20][21] Mike Johnson, a former ADF attorney,[22][23] was elected Speaker of the House of Representatives on October 25, 2023.[24][25] Others who have been associated with ADF include U.S. Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett,[19][26] former vice president Mike Pence,[27] former attorneys general William Barr[28] and Jeff Sessions,[20][29] and Senator Josh Hawley.[30][31]

ADF attorneys have argued a number of cases before the Supreme Court, taking positions including support for religious activity in public school and Christian prayer at town meetings, narrowing insurance coverage for contraceptives, prohibiting same-sex marriage, and supporting businesses in the wedding industry that refuse to service gay marriages.[32] ADF lawyers wrote the model for Mississippi's anti-abortion legislation, leading to the Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization to overrule Roe v. Wade that had established a right to abortion in America in 1973.[33]

The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) designates ADF as an anti-LGBT hate group, saying in 2017 that since the election of President Donald Trump ADF had become "one of the most influential groups informing the [Trump] administration's attack on LGBTQ rights."[11] The ADF has taken many anti-LGBT positions: it opposes same-sex marriage, decriminalization of same-sex sexual activity, and anti-discrimination laws, and takes an active role in writing model anti-transgender bills for state legislators.[11][34][35]

History and structure

Founding

Bill and Vonette Bright
James Dobson
Co-founders of Alliance Defense Fund, the predecessor to Alliance Defending Freedom.

The Alliance Defense Fund was founded by members of the Christian right movement to prevent what its founders saw as threats to religious liberty in American society.[18][21] ADF was incorporated in 1993[1] by six conservative Christian men, most of whom belonged to evangelical movements.[36] The co-founders were Bill Bright, who also founded Campus Crusade for Christ; Larry Burkett, an evangelical financial advisor; James Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family; D. James Kennedy, Evangelist pastor and founder of Coral Ridge Ministries; Marlin Maddoux, a Christian radio radio personality; and Alan Sears, former director of the Meese Commission and a devout Catholic.[37]

In its early years, Alliance Defense Fund funded legal cases rather than litigating directly. It particularly targeted the work of the American Civil Liberties Union, which its founders saw as contributing to an erosion of Christian values.[21][10][38][39]

Principal concerns of the ADF have been prohibiting abortion and opposing gay rights. Several founding members wrote books condemning homosexuality, including longtime president Alan Sears, who authored the 2003 book The Homosexual Agenda,[40][41] and Marlin Malloux, who wrote 1994's Answers to the Gay Deception.[42] D. James Kennedy dismissed same-sex marriage as "counterfeit"[43] and promoted pseudoscientific conversion therapy,[44] while James Dobson helped launch a ministry aiming to help gay people "overcome" homosexuality.[45][46]

Shift to direct litigation

The Alliance Defense Fund changed its name to Alliance Defending Freedom in 2012. The name change was intended to reflect the organization's shift in focus from funding allied attorneys to directly litigating cases.[47] By 2014 the organization had more than 40 staff attorneys, and had "emerged as the largest legal force of the religious right, arguing hundreds of pro bono cases across the country."[21] The ADF garnered national attention in its 2014 challenge to the Affordable Care Act. In Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc., the Court ruled that the birth control mandate in employee funded health plans violated the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993[48] since there existed a less restrictive means of furthering the law's interest.[49]

The Southern Poverty Law Center listed the organization as an extremist anti-LGBTQ hate group in 2016. The group's designation "was a judgment call that went all the way up to top leadership at the SPLC."[50] According to the SPLC, the ADF was included on the list due to the group's filing of an amicus brief in the 2003 U.S. Supreme Court case Lawrence v. Texas, in which the ADF expressed support for upholding the state's right to criminalize consensual sexual acts between people of the same sex.[36] The SPLC has described the ADF as "virulently anti-gay".[11][51] The SPLC describes the group's mission as "making life as difficult as possible for LGBT communities in the U.S. and internationally."[36] The ADF has opposed its inclusion on the SPLC's list, with senior counsel Jeremy Tedesco describing it as "a stranglehold on conservative and religious groups that is just hovering over us and that can continue to constrict and limit our ability to simply voice our opinion."[50]

In July 2017, U.S. sitting Attorney General Jeff Sessions attended ADF's Summit on Religious Liberty. Sessions said, "While your clients vary from pastors to nuns to geologists, all of us benefit from your good work." LGBTQ rights groups criticized Sessions for his participation at the event. Dominic Holden wrote in BuzzFeed News that ADF's growing influence within the federal government can be attributed to Sessions' support.[29][20]

Leadership and international expansion

The ADF's first president, CEO and Chief Counsel was Alan Sears, who was also a founder of the organization.[52] Sears has been described as "an ardent antipornography crusader",[53] and had previously served as staff executive director of the Reagan administration Attorney General's Commission on Pornography, which produced the 1986 Meese Report.[54]

Sears led the organization for over 20 years, until 2017. From 2017 to 2022, Michael Farris, the founder of Patrick Henry College, was CEO of ADF. Farris lobbied Congress for the passage of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993.[52] He has been closely associated with the Christian homeschooling movement since the 1980s and is the founder of the Christian organization Home School Legal Defense Association, which offers legal representation to home-schooling parents.[10] Farris has called the SPLC's designation of ADF as a hate group a "troubling smear" and "slander".[55]

In 2016, Farris voiced opposition to Donald Trump's candidacy for president, opining that "Trump most clearly fails the traditional standard championed by the Christian right on the subject of personal character."[56] However after Trump refused to concede the 2020 presidential election and made false claims of voter fraud, Farris worked to overturn the election results, drafting a legal complaint with Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in the unsuccessful case Texas v. Pennsylvania.[57][58]

On October 1, 2022, Kristen Waggoner succeeded Farris as CEO and President of ADF, retaining her role as General Counsel.[59]

Since 2010, ADF's global arm, ADF International, has been increasingly active around the world. In 2015, ADF International stated that it had been involved in "over 500 cases before national and international tribunals," in the United States of America, Argentina, Honduras, India, Mexico, Peru, the European Union Court and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights.[60] The organization reported 580 "ongoing legal matters" in fifty-one countries as of 2017,[61] and had a budget of $11.5 million worldwide in 2020–2021.[62][63] The organization established an affiliate group in India (ADF India) in 2012, headquartered in Delhi.[64] In addition, ADF is incorporated in a number of European countries under "ADF International": Belgium, Germany (as ADF International Deutschland), France, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and Austria (as ADF International Austria GmbH).[65] The organization also lobbies the European Union Parliament via ADF International Belgium, which participates in the intergroup organization "Freedom of Religion and Religious Tolerance." As part of EU advocacy, its members have presented on issues including Christian minority persecution in Iraq and Myanmar.[63]

Finances and donors

ADF is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization.[66] Since 1999, ADF's budget has increased more than ten-fold, from $9 million to $104 million, as of 2022.[67]:84[68] Revenue has increased by 60% in just two years (from $65 million in 2020).[3][68] ADF's assets have also increased rapidly in the past several years. Net assets were approximately $49 million in 2020, $57 million in 2021, and $78.5 million in 2022.[3][69][68] Prior to the 2020–21 financial year, revenue and net assets had remained roughly steady since 2015.[70]

A significant share of ADF's funding comes from large donors. One donor gave more than $31 million over the course of two years, amounting to 12% of total contributions in 2022 and 22% of contributions in 2021 ($13 and $18 million, respectively).[65] While donors' identities are reported on federal tax returns, that information is not made public under IRS regulations. ADF has been active in preventing public disclosure of donors' names, both in court and through grassroots organizing. It won a Supreme Court case that ended California's requirement for non-profits to release the names of their major donors, Americans for Prosperity Foundation v. Bonta (2021). Members of ADF have also encouraged churches to endorse politicians, in violation of the Johnson Amendment. The law prohibits tax-exempt religious groups from endorsing political candidates,[71] to prevent the funnelling of anonymous, tax-exempt political donations through religious groups, which have fewer financial disclosure requirements than other non-profits and political organizations.[72]

The Servant Foundation, a Christian grant-making organization, is a significant funder of the Alliance Defending Freedom.[73] The foundation donated over $50,000,000 to the Alliance Defending Freedom between 2018 and 2020, via the foundation's financial arm, The Signatry.[73][74][75] Other donors include the Covenant Foundation, the Bolthouse Foundation,[76] the Edgar and Elsa Prince Foundation,[77][67]:84, 255 the Richard and Helen DeVos Foundation, and the Bradley Foundation.[78][79] The Charles Koch Institute donated $275,000 to ADF in 2020.[80] The M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust, one of largest charities in the Pacific Northwest, donated nearly $1,000,000 to ADF from 2007 to 2016.[81]

ADF International's budget was $11.5 million USD (€9,489,000) in FY 2020-21.[63] In the EU, the organization spent about $9.8 million (€8.7 million) from 2008 to 2016.[62] In 2020, it reported a budget of about $2 million per year (£1.5 million), including approximately $430,000 on lobbying EU officials.[62] Its registered EU lobbying group, ADF International Belgium, had five employees and a $585,000 budget for the 2022-23 financial year.[82] In its financial disclosure information, ADF International Belgium lists its source as a donation from Alliance Defending Freedom.[82]

In 2020, retired ADF founder Alan Sears was compensated over $803,000 and President Michael Farris was compensated $455,000.[3] In 2021, Farris (then President and CEO) made $503,000 and Sears $486,000, while then-General Counsel Kristen Waggoner was compensated $337,000.[69] In 2022, Waggoner made $395,000 as General Counsel and Farris made $625,000 as President and CEO.[68]

Litigation positions

See also: List of court cases involving Alliance Defending FreedomADF's positions include supporting religion in public institutions, opposing LGBTQ rights, opposing abortion and contraception, and other positions aligned with conservative Christianity in the United States.

Issue advocacy as a function of press releases (2017)[9]

  Religious liberty (45%)
  Opposition to abortion (22%)
  Opposition to same-sex marriage (21%)
  Not specified (12%)

Religion in public institutions

According to materials for its donors, ADF seeks to spread a belief in "the framers' original intent for the US Constitution and the Bill of Rights as it reflects God's natural law and God's higher law."[7] Before taking the oath of office as Speaker of the House of Representatives, (As of October 2023), former ADF lawyer Mike Johnson stated, "The Bible is very clear that God is the one that raises up those in authority ... each of you, all of us."[22] The organization pursues "strategies for reclaiming the judicial system as it was originally envisioned," most notably through litigation.[7]

The ADF has been involved in several United States Supreme Court cases that would permit use of public buildings and public funds for religious purposes, such as Rosenberger v. University of Virginia (1995) and Good News Club v. Milford Central School (2001). ADF also supports allowing Christian prayer at public town meetings (see Town of Greece v. Galloway) and the use of religious displays (such as crosses and other religious monuments) in public buildings and on public lands.[8]

Religion in schools

ADF has argued that parents who object to sex education on religious grounds should have the right to opt not to have their children attend.[8] The organization has been involved in many cases religious practice in public schools. In Good News Club v. Milford Central School (2001), for example, the ADF was part of a case in which the Supreme Court ruled that religious clubs must be afforded equal access to use public school facilities.[83]

Christian-only adoption

In 2022, ADF took on a case defending a Tennessee-based Christian adoption agency that refused to work with Jewish prospective parents.[84][85][86][87] The case, which names the State of Tennessee as a defendant for its law permitting religious organizations to reject applicants based on faith, was dismissed on technical grounds.[88] As of late July 2022, the case is being appealed to the Tennessee Court of Appeals on behalf of the couple and several other plaintiffs.[88][89]

Commenting on an earlier case in South Carolina, an ADF spokesperson expressed support for an evangelical foster care provider in South Carolina that rejects Jewish prospective parents, as well as LGBTQ people, atheists, and other non-Christians.[90][91] The agency, Miracle Hill Ministries, is the largest foster and adoption agency in South Carolina and receives public funding; its President has stated that its religious discrimination policy is justified, because "We look like a social service agency, but we're a community of Christ followers and our faith in Christ is the most important part of who we are."[92][93] A Catholic woman sued the agency after being rejected on the basis of religion, but the agency later changed its rules to permit "Catholics who affirm Miracle Hill's doctrinal statement in belief and practice to serve as foster parents and employees."[94]

At the request of South Carolina governor Henry McMaster, the Trump administration granted the organization a waiver of federal non-discrimination law. An ADF spokesperson indicated that the organization is "grateful [to] HHS and South Carolina" for granting the waiver, which allows the agency to continue to restrict fostering and adoption work to those who endorse evangelical beliefs.[90][91][95]

Opposing LGBTQ rights

In 2003, ADF unsuccessfully called for the recriminalization of homosexual acts in the U.S. (prior to 1962, sodomy had been a felony in every U.S. state), filing a Supreme Court brief supporting Texas' sodomy law in the landmark Lawrence v. Texas case which declared sodomy laws unconstitutional; it falsely linked homosexuality to pedophilia.[11] ADF also opposes same-sex marriage and civil unions, as well as adoption by same-sex couples, based on its leaders' "belief that God created men, women, and families such that children thrive best in homes with a married mother and father."[96][97] ADF provided legal support to the defendants in two Supreme Court cases dealing with the intersection of freedom of religion against Colorado's anti-discrimination laws for public-serving businesses, Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission (2018) and 303 Creative LLC v. Elenis (2022); in both cases, the underlying issue was whether Christian business owners, under the anti-discrimination law, were compelled to create works with LGBT messaging that they said went against their Christian faith. In 2021, the Supreme Court declined to consider an appeal from ADF attorneys on behalf of a florist who refused to serve her clients' same-sex wedding, with three of the nine justices indicating they were willing to hear the case.[98]

The organization has worked internationally to prevent decriminalization of homosexuality in Jamaica and Belize.[99] The SPLC has reported on ADF support for a law criminalizing same-sex sexual acts in Belize (ruled unconstitutional in 2016).[100][101] The ADF denied playing any role in the case.[102] In the United Kingdom, ADF International advocated in favor of a mother's custody of her child, against the custody of the child's father and his same-sex partner.[61] ADF also has links to the former prime minister of Australia, Tony Abbott, an outspoken opponent of the legalization of same-sex marriage in Australia. Abbott gave a speech to ADF regarding marriage in 2016.[103]

ADF opposes transgender rights based on an idea that "God creates each person with an immutable biological sex — male or female..."[104] The organization has litigated against transgender employment protections, access to bathrooms, and participation in sports for transgender people. Members of ADF also authored model legislation for bathroom bills in the United States, aimed at restricting transgender people's use of public bathrooms.[34] In 2020, the ADF lost a Supreme Court case in which they argued that employers should be allowed to discriminate against transgender people. ADF attorneys defended a funeral home that fired a trans employee in the Supreme Court case, R.G. & G.R. Harris Funeral Homes Inc. v. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, losing in a 6–3 vote.[105]

The organization has worked to prevent transgender children from playing sports, through lawsuits and by lobbying state legislatures.[106][107] In April 2022, ADF-affiliated lawyers defended a professor at Shawnee State University, Ohio, who refused to use preferred pronouns when referring to a transgender student; the university agreed to a $400,000 settlement with the professor.[108]

In Europe, ADF International has supported mandatory genital surgery (and consequent sterilization) of transgender people before they are allowed to change the gender marker on government IDs.[35] However, a decision by the European Court of Human Rights, A.P., Garçon and Nicot v. France, has led France, Greece, Portugal, and several other countries to allow non-medical pathways to gender marker change.[109]

In June 2022 several groups opposing trans rights, including Alliance Defending Freedom, WDI USA, Family Research Council and Women's Liberation Front, organized an anti-trans rally in Washington D.C.[110] According to Lindsay Schubiner, director of an Oregon non-profit organization which aims to counter right-wing extremism, white nationalists have attempted "to exploit the current increased focus on spreading homophobia and transphobia on the broader right and institutional environments" to appeal to and recruit mainstream conservatives.[111]

In June of 2023, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled in favor of a Christian website designer, Lorie Smith, who did not want to provide service to alleged gay couple.[112][113] The case was represented by the ADF[114] and has raised concerns about the legitimacy of the court as the gay couple never existed.[115] Justice Amy Coney Barrett, who ruled in favor of the plaintiff, has ties to the ADF.[116] The group's President and CEO called it "a critical ruling affirming all Americans' free speech".[117] In several cases ADF assisted its plaintiffs with incorporating companies and drafting company policies to be used in lawsuits.[118]

Opposing abortion, birth control, and euthanasia

ADF has long opposed abortion, and has litigated to restrict access to abortion and contraception in the US and in other countries.

In the 2022 decision Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, the Supreme Court upheld a Mississippi law that was the nation's first-ever 15-week abortion ban, thereby overturning Roe v. Wade (1973) and Planned Parenthood v. Casey (1992). The Mississippi law was based on ADF's model legislation, specifically designed to provoke a legal challenge that would be appealed to the ultraconservative Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, and then to the Supreme Court.[119] ADF lawyers served on the Mississippi Attorney General's legal team to defend the ban.[33] That strategy succeeded in ending the legal right to abortion in the United States, and giving states the power to restrict or ban medical care related to pregnancy termination. The ADF has links to at least one Justice of the Supreme Court, Amy Coney Barrett.[19][26] [64]

The ADF represents the Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine in Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v. US Food and Drug Administration,[120][121] a case where the plaintiff has challenged the U.S Food and Drug Agency's longstanding approval of mifepristone, a drug frequently used in medical abortion procedures.[122][123][124]

One of its most notable legal battles was a 2014 case challenging the Affordable Care Act. In Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc., the Court ruled that the birth control mandate in employee-funded health plans when the company is "closely-held" violated the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993. The case set a precedent for allowing corporations and individuals to make religious claims for exemption from laws and regulations based on a religious freedom argument.[48][125][126][127] The United States Supreme Court held that privately held corporations could be exempt from Affordable Care Act regulations if the owners asserted religiously objections, basing the decision on the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993. The decision meant that many employers could decide not to cover contraceptives through their health insurance plans.[128][129]

Although ADF describes itself as a champion of First Amendment freedom of speech, in 2014, lawyers from the organization represented parents who wanted public schools to remove pages from a biology textbook that mentioned abortion and sexually transmitted diseases.[130]

International anti-abortion work

ADF has led an international campaign to influence and restrict the right to abortion.[131] The organization takes the position that healthcare workers have a right to refuse to provide care for abortion and other practices the individual finds morally objectionable.[132] ADF has backed anti-abortion causes in Ireland,[61] El Salvador, Colombia, Poland and Sweden.[133] In the United Kingdom, the group has campaigned against buffer zones around abortion clinics.[134]

In Sweden, a midwife, Ellinor Grimmark, sued the province of Jönköping for discrimination because she was refused employment when, citing "freedom of conscience", she refused to give morning-after pills, perform abortions, or put in copper IUDs. She lost both her hearing before the Discrimination Ombudsman, and at the Jönköping district court.[135] The proceedings in the Labor Court of Sweden began on January 24, 2017, and her case received both legal and financial aid from ADF. Grimmark's legal representative, Ruth Nordström, was a registered partner of ADF,[136] and both Grimmark and Nordström participated in ADFs marketing films.[137] Nordström co-wrote an opinion piece opposing abortion rights with an ADF representative for Sveriges Television, Sweden's national public television broadcaster.[138]

Campaigns against assisted suicide

The ADF has campaigned against the legalization of voluntary euthanasia in the United Kingdom.[134] The group has also challenged the right to euthanasia in Belgium, before the European Court of Human Rights.[139][140] ADF India also campaigns against assisted suicide and euthanasia.[141]

COVID-19 restriction cases

ADF has opposed government measures aimed at stopping the spread of COVID-19 in the United States and in other countries. In the US, ADF partnered with The Daily Wire in a legal challenge against the Biden administration's OSHA vaccine mandate.[142] In Uganda, ADF joined a Texas libertarian organization in backing a campaign to end restrictions on large gatherings that the government had implemented to reduce COVID-19 spread.[143] ADF brought legal challenges against the Ugandan government's regulations on large gatherings.[144] In Scotland, ADF fought against COVID-19 regulations on large gatherings, claiming that the measures were unfair to religious groups.[145] The ADF-backed lawsuit won in Scotland's high court. A poll commissioned by the Humanist Society showed that more than three-quarters of Scots were opposed to the church's reopening and the Church of Scotland distanced itself from the legal action, saying that they accepted measures to prevent COVID-19 spread.[146]

Non-profit donor disclosure

In the US Supreme Court decision Americans for Prosperity Foundation v. Bonta (2021), ADF argued that non-profits should not be required to disclose the identities of their donors on California state tax returns. Donors who gave more than $5,000 or 2% of the total donations to a non-profit in a year were to be named on the state returns. In a victory for ADF, the court struck down the disclosure law as unconstitutional.[147]

Other activities

Blackstone Legal Fellowship

Blackstone Legal Fellowship, named after the English jurist William Blackstone, is ADF's summer legal training program. It was founded in 2000 for the purpose of preparing Christian law students for professional legal careers. The first class comprised 24 interns.[148] The program is made up of interns, called Fellows, from a diverse selection of law schools as well as elite institutions such as Harvard and Yale.[148] Amy Coney Barrett, who went on to be Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, was a paid speaker at Blackstone on five occasions between 2013 and 2017.[19]

Public campaigns

In 2003 the ADF launched the "Christmas Project", aiming to discourage non-Christian holidays from being celebrated and to promote Christmas celebrations in public schools.[149][150] The annual initiative was organized in an effort to prevent school districts from holding secular holiday celebrations, or what the organization called the "censorship of Christmas". In its press release ADF singled out the American Civil Liberties Union as the chief target of the campaign.[151] By 2004, the organization had contacted 3,600 school districts to inform them that they were not required by the Constitution to have holiday celebrations inclusive of all religions.[149]

In 2005 the ADF and Focus on the Family began sponsoring a counter-protest called the Day of Truth (later called "Day of Dialogue") to oppose the annual Day of Silence, an annual event to promote awareness of anti-LGBT bullying and harassment in schools. The ADF asserted that 1,100 students from 350 schools participated in ADF's event, which ADF billed as a response to the "homosexual agenda".[152]

Church political activity and tax exemption

Pulpit Freedom Sunday in 2011

In 2008, ADF launched the first Pulpit Freedom Sunday to promote political messaging and endorsements in Christian pastors' sermons in defiance of the prohibition on political endorsements by non-profit 501(c)(3) organizations under the 1954 Johnson Amendment.[71][21] The practice of political endorsement is not broadly accepted within the evangelical community, with most Evangelical pastors opposed as of 2017.[153]

Pulpit Freedom Sunday is an initiative aimed to overturn the Johnson Amendment, which restricts political campaigning by tax-exempt non-profit organizations, which includes most churches. According to The New York Times, ADF's campaign is "perhaps its most aggressive effort."[21] In the first year about 35 pastors participated, in what they consider an act of civil disobedience, endorsing political candidates in their sermons and defying the Internal Revenue Service regulations. In Minnesota, reverend Gus Booth encouraged his congregation to vote for John McCain rather than Barack Obama.[154] (As of 2014), participation in the event had grown to about 1,800 pastors. The IRS indicated that it would increase enforcement of the Johnson Amendment.[155]

Some opponents of the movement have voiced concern about permitting churches to endorse politicians because it would allow political donors to remain anonymous and to get tax breaks for their donations.[156] Unlike other non-profits, churches aren't required to make financial disclosures, so churches endorsing politicians could act as funnels for anonymous campaign donations, or "dark money".[72]

Associated people

The following people are currently or have been affiliated or associated with ADF:

  • Tony Abbott, former prime minister of Australia[103]
  • William Barr, former US Attorney General under George H. W. Bush and Donald Trump, ADF Award recipient in 2021[28]
  • Amy Coney Barrett, Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, paid speaker at Blackstone Legal Fellowship[19][26]
  • Bill Bright founder of Campus Crusade for Christ and ADF[157]
  • J. Budziszewski, professor, member of Advisory Board of Blackstone[158]
  • Larry Burkett founder of Crown Financial Ministries and ADF[157]
  • Paul Coleman, Executive Director of ADF International[159]
  • Chapman B. Cox, former General Counsel of the United States Department of Defense, ADF chairman emeritus[160]
  • Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the Susan B. Anthony List and member of ADF Board[160]
  • James Dobson founder of Focus on the Family and ADF[157]
  • Kyle Duncan, judge appointed by Trump to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, speaker for ADF in 2007, 2008, and 2009[161]
  • Michael Farris, president and CEO from 2017 to 2022[52][59]
  • David A. French, New York Times columnist, former Senior Counsel at ADF, formerly a journalist at National Review and The Dispatch[162]
  • Robert P. George, legal scholar, member of Blackstone Advisory Board[158]
  • Mary Ann Glendon, former U. S. Ambassador to the Holy See, member of Blackstone Advisory Board[158]
  • Erin Hawley, ADF senior counsel (spouse of Senator Josh Hawley)[31]
  • Josh Hawley, U.S. Senator for Missouri, former member of Blackstone Fellowship[30] (spouse of Erin Hawley)
  • Mike Johnson, former ADF attorney, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives (Representative of Louisiana)[163][25]
  • Michael J. Juneau, judge of the U.S. District Court, Western District of Louisiana[164]
  • D. James Kennedy founder of Coral Ridge Ministries and ADF[157]
  • Charles LiMandri, attorney associated with the Mount Soledad Cross lawsuits
  • Marlin Maddoux president, International Christian Media and ADF founder[157]
  • Edwin Meese, former Attorney General of the United States, member of Blackstone Advisory Board[158]
  • Mike Pence, former Vice President of the United States; appointed former ADF President Michael Farris to his Advancing American Freedom Advisory Board[27]
  • William Pew, co-founder of ADF[157]
  • Charles W. Pickering, former judge for the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, ADF Board member[160]
  • Charles E. Rice, legal scholar, member of Blackstone Advisory Board[158]
  • Allison Jones Rushing, judge of the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals[165][166]
  • Andrew Sandlin, Christian minister, faculty member at Blackstone[158]
  • Alan Seabaugh, member of Louisiana legislature, ADF-allied attorney[167]
  • Alan Sears, attorney, and founder and first president and CEO of ADF
  • Jeff Sessions, former U.S. Attorney General under Donald Trump and U.S. Senator for Alabama[20][29]
  • Brantley Starr, United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas.[168]
  • Ken Starr, judge and independent counsel in Clinton impeachment, member of ADF's Supreme Court Advisory Council[169]
  • Lawrence VanDyke, federal judge for the Ninth Circuit, former ADF legal intern and law student training panelist[170]
  • Kristen Waggoner, ADF President and CEO as of 2022
  • Doug Wardlow, former Minnesota legislator, former lawyer at ADF[171][172]


See also

Legal groups

  • American Center for Law and Justice
  • Pacific Justice Institute
  • Center for Individual Rights
  • Christian Legal Society
  • Liberty Counsel

Related legislation

  • First Amendment Defense Act
  • Marriage Protection Amendment

References

Notes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Alliance Defending Freedom ". Business Entity Details. State Corporation Commission. Commonwealth of Virginia. Retrieved September 9, 2016.
  2. ↑ "IRS Form 990: Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax ". Retrieved December 26, 2018. Alliance Defending Freedom. Guidestar. June 30, 2014.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 "IRS Form 990: Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax". ProPublica. May 18, 2021. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/541660459. 
  4. ↑ "ADF names new president, CEO". Alliance Defending Freedom. 19 August 2022. https://adflegal.org/press-release/adf-names-new-president-ceo. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 "IRS Form 990: Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax". https://adflegal.org/sites/default/files/2023-05/2021%20ADF%20990%20Public%20Copy%20Final.pdf. 
  6. ↑ "Company Profile: Alliance Defending Freedom". Bloomberg.com. https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/0992289D:US. Retrieved July 30, 2022. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 "IRS Form 990: Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax". Internal Revenue Service. 2008. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/display_990/541660459/2009_03_EO%2F54-1660459_990_200806. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Gizzi, John (2009). "Alliance Defense Fund Promotes Religious Freedom". Human Events 65 (28): 21. 
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Bennett, Daniel (September 19, 2017). "Masterpiece Cakeshop: Meet the Christian Legal Group Behind the High-Profile Court Case". Religion & Politics (Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press). http://religionandpolitics.org/2017/09/19/masterpiece-cakeshop-alliance-defending-freedom-christian-supreme-court/. 
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Vile, John. "Alliance Defending Freedom". Middle Tennessee State University. https://www.mtsu.edu:8443/first-amendment/article/1505/alliance-defending-freedom. 
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 "Alliance Defending Freedom" (in en). https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/extremist-files/group/alliance-defending-freedom. 
  12. ↑ O'Malley, Nick (2016-01-25). "Inside the Alliance Defending Freedom, the 'gay-hate' group hosting Tony Abbott" (in en). https://www.smh.com.au/world/inside-the-alliance-defending-freedom-the-gayhate-group-hosting-tony-abbott-20160126-gmdu9o.html. 
  13. ↑ Montini, E. J.. "Montini: Business wants to use religion to discriminate against same-sex couples" (in en-US). https://www.azcentral.com/story/opinion/op-ed/ej-montini/2016/06/08/montini-alliance-defending-freedom-discrimination-same-sex-couples-phoenix/85616540/. 
  14. ↑ Stewart, Katherine; Shephard, Alex; Shephard, Alex; McCrary, Charles; Ribovich, Leslie; McCrary, Charles; Ribovich, Leslie; Ford, Matt et al. (2022-07-11). "How Leonard Leo Became the Power Broker of the American Right". The New Republic. ISSN 0028-6583. https://newrepublic.com/article/166993/leonard-leo-christian-right-future. 
  15. ↑ "International Overview". Alliance Defending Freedom. https://www.adflegal.org/issues/international. 
  16. ↑ "About Us". ADF International. https://adfinternational.org/about-us/. 
  17. ↑ Roach, David (July 27, 2022). "Religious Liberty Firm Goes Global with 1,500 International Cases". Christianity Today. https://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2022/july/alliance-defending-freedom-international-religious-liberty.html. Retrieved July 30, 2022. 
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 Bennett, Daniel (2017). Defending Faith: The Politics of the Christian Conservative Legal Movement. University Press of Kansas. ISBN 978-0700624607. 
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 19.3 19.4 Brown, Emma; Swaine, John (September 27, 2020). "Amy Coney Barrett, Supreme Court nominee, spoke at program founded to inspire a 'distinctly Christian worldview in every area of law'". Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/coney-barrett-christian-law-fellowship-blackstone/2020/09/27/7ae41892-fdc5-11ea-b555-4d71a9254f4b_story.html. "The group changed its name to Alliance Defending Freedom in 2012 and has grown into a legal and financial powerhouse." 
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 20.3 Holden, Dominic (December 4, 2017). "How This Anti-Trump Evangelical Is Quietly Taking Advantage of The Trump Presidency". BuzzFeed News. https://www.buzzfeed.com/dominicholden/adf-mike-farris. "In the 10 months since Farris took over, he has shepherded the group from relative obscurity to arguably become the most influential — and increasingly prominent — conservative law group in the United States." 
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 21.2 21.3 21.4 21.5 Eckholm, Eric (May 11, 2014). "Legal Alliance Gains Host of Court Victories for Conservative Christian Movement". The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/12/us/legal-alliance-gains-host-of-court-victories-for-conservative-christian-movement.html. "Alliance Defending Freedom, which, with its $40 million annual budget, 40-plus staff lawyers and hundreds of affiliated lawyers, has emerged as the largest legal force of the religious right, arguing hundreds of pro bono cases across the country." 
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 Smith, Peter (27 October 2023). "Christian right cheers new House speaker, conservative evangelical Mike Johnson, as one of their own". Texarkana Gazette. https://www.texarkanagazette.com/news/2023/oct/27/christian-right-cheers-new-house-speaker. "Evangelical Christian conservatives have long had allies in top Republican leadership in Congress. But never before have they had one so thoroughly embedded in their movement as new House Speaker Mike Johnson. ... Johnson served as an attorney with what's now known as Alliance Defending Freedom, one of the foremost legal advocates of causes valued by many on the religious right." 
  23. ↑ Pauly, Madison (26 October 2023). "Mike Johnson's Long Flirtation With Christian Nationalism: The new speaker has a lengthy association with far-right activism". Mother Jones. https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2023/10/speaker-mike-johnson-lgbtq-christian-alliance-defending-freedom/. "Long before he was even elected to the Louisiana legislature, he spent years as an attorney and spokesperson for the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), a powerful conservative organization that carries out much of the Christian right’s legal agenda." 
  24. ↑ "Congressman Mike Johnson Elected Speaker of the House". https://www.house.gov/feature-stories/2023-10-25-new-speaker-of-the-house. 
  25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 Quinn, Melissa; Watson, Kathryn (25 October 2023). "Mike Johnson elected House speaker with unanimous GOP support, ending weeks of chaos". CBS News. https://www.cbsnews.com/live-updates/house-speaker-vote-live-updates-10-25-2023. 
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 26.2 Holden, Emily (October 5, 2020). "Leader of non-profit labeled 'hate group' attended White House Amy Coney Barrett event". The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/oct/05/michael-farris-amy-coney-barrett-adf. 
  27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 Brigham, Bob (April 10, 2021). "Mike Pence caught quietly adding hate group leader to his new organization's advisory board". Salon. https://www.salon.com/2021/04/10/mike-pence-caught-quietly-adding-hate-group-leader-to-his-new-organizations-advisory-board_partner/. 
  28. ↑ 28.0 28.1 "William Barr is a Friend of Freedom". Alliance Defending Freedom. May 21, 2021. https://adflegal.org/william-barr-interview. 
  29. ↑ 29.0 29.1 29.2 Laura Jarrett (July 13, 2017). "Sessions reveals in closed-door speech new protections for religious liberty on the way". http://www.cnn.com/2017/07/13/politics/jeff-sessions-alliance-defending-freedom-speech-released/index.html. 
  30. ↑ 30.0 30.1 Fenske, Sarah (June 29, 2018). "As a Mizzou Prof, Josh Hawley Took Money from Anti-Gay 'Alliance Defending Freedom'". The Riverfront Times. https://www.riverfronttimes.com/newsblog/2018/06/29/as-a-mizzou-prof-josh-hawley-took-money-from-anti-gay-alliance-defending-freedom. 
  31. ↑ 31.0 31.1 "Erin M. Hawley - Senior Counsel, Alliance Defending Freedom". September 2022. https://fedsoc.org/contributors/erin-hawley-1. 
  32. ↑ Contrera, Jessica. "Inside the Christian legal powerhouse that keeps winning at the Supreme Court". The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/inside-the-christian-legal-powerhouse-that-keeps-winning-at-the-supreme-court/2018/07/04/fffa6aa0-7adb-11e8-93cc-6d3beccdd7a3_story.html. 
  33. ↑ 33.0 33.1 "Who We Are". February 11, 2021. https://adflegal.org/about-us/who-we-are. 
  34. ↑ 34.0 34.1 Avery, Dan (Feb 17, 2021). "State anti-transgender bills represent coordinated attack, advocates say" (in en). https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/state-anti-transgender-bills-represent-coordinated-attack-advocates-say-n1258124. 
  35. ↑ 35.0 35.1 Amend, Alex (July 27, 2017). "Anti-LGBT Hate Group Alliance Defending Freedom Defended State-Enforced Sterilization for Transgender Europeans". SPLC. https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2017/07/27/anti-lgbt-hate-group-alliance-defending-freedom-defended-state-enforced-sterilization. 
  36. ↑ 36.0 36.1 36.2 O'Hara, Mary Emily (April 8, 2017). "This Law Firm Is Linked to Anti-Transgender Bathroom Bills Across the Country". NBC. https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/law-firm-linked-anti-transgender-bathroom-bills-across-country-n741106. 
  37. ↑ "Scottsdale couple receive Church's highest honor for laity". 6 July 2017. https://www.catholicsun.org/2017/07/06/scottsdale-couple-receive-churchs-highest-honor-for-laity/. 
  38. ↑ McFeely, Tom (January 18, 2012). "Alliance Defense Fund's Chief Convert " [interview with Alan Sears]. National Catholic Register. ncregister.com. Retrieved October 14, 2017. Referring to Ron Rosenberger and his volunteer lawyer, Alan Sears explains that ADF "raised money, and ... funded the petition for certiorari that asked the United States Supreme Court to hear their case" and that later it "funded the costs of the case and a number of amicus briefs."
  39. ↑ Sears, Alan; Craig Osten (2005). The ACLU vs. America: Exposing the Agenda to Redefine Moral Values. B&H Books. ISBN 978-0-8054-4045-4. "As a result of the work of the American Civil Liberties Union and their war on America, we now live in a country where the church has been progressively silenced, parental authority has been undermined, children are less safe, and human life continues to be cheapened-both at birth and death. ... But there is hope. Many Americans are waking up to the dangerous agenda of the ACLU." 
  40. ↑ Sears, Alan; Craig Osten (2003). The Homosexual Agenda: Exposing the Principal Threat to Religious Freedom Today. B&H Books. ISBN 978-0-8054-2698-4. 
  41. ↑ Wilson-Hartgrove, Jonathan (31 July 2018). "Opinion | Jeff Sessions' new "religious liberty task force" is a dangerous sham". NBC. https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/jeff-sessions-religious-liberty-task-force-part-dangerous-christian-nationalist-ncna895941. 
  42. ↑ Malloux, Marlin; Corbett, Christopher (1994). Answers to the Gay Deception. International Christian Media. 
  43. ↑ "Dr. Kennedy Calls for Constitutional "Firewall" to Protect Marriage". November 19, 2003. http://www.reclaimamerica.org/PAGES/News/news.aspx?story=1460.  D. James Kennedy described same-sex marriage as "counterfeit marriage"
  44. ↑ Kennedy, D. James; Newcombe, Jerry (2004). What's Wrong with Same-Sex Marriage?. Wheaton, Ill.: Crossway Books. pp. 11. ISBN 1581346638. https://archive.org/details/whatswrongwithsa0000kenn/page/11.  D. James Kennedy promoted this therapy "for homosexuals who want to change, through the power of Jesus Christ."
  45. ↑ "Homepage". http://exodusfreedom.org/.  James Dobson's Focus on the Family founded an "ex-gay" ministry called "Love Won Out" to change the behavior and identities of gay people.
  46. ↑ "Frequently Asked Questions". Love Won Out. http://www.lovewonout.com/questions/. Retrieved December 19, 2008. 
  47. ↑ "Alliance Defense Fund now Alliance Defending Freedom" (Press release). Alliance Defending Freedom. July 9, 2012. Archived from the original on February 2, 2017. Retrieved July 30, 2012.
  48. ↑ 48.0 48.1 Allison, Sherry (December 5, 2017). "Who Is The Alliance Defending Freedom, The Legal Team Behind Masterpiece Cakeshop?". Colorado Public Radio. https://www.cpr.org/news/story/who-is-the-alliance-defending-freedom-masterpiece-cakeshops-legal-team. 
  49. ↑ "Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc.". https://www.law.cornell.edu/supremecourt/text/13-354. 
  50. ↑ 50.0 50.1 Montgomery, David (November 8, 2018). "The State of Hate". The Washington Post Magazine. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/magazine/wp/2018/11/08/feature/is-the-southern-poverty-law-center-judging-hate-fairly/. 
  51. ↑ Nelson, Leah (Spring 2013). "The Last Word: The War On Krishna: Religious-right activists, fresh from the front lines of the War on Christmas, take on a new and dangerous pagan threat" Intelligence Report". Southern Poverty Law Center. https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/intelligence-report/2013/last-word-0. 
  52. ↑ 52.0 52.1 52.2 "ADF Names New CEO - Alliance Defending Freedom". http://www.adflegal.org/adfceo. 
  53. ↑ Stengel, Richard; Chua-Eoan, H. G.; Constable, A.; Taylor, E. (July 21, 1986). "Sex Busters". Time: 12–22. https://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,144566,00.html. Retrieved July 23, 2022. 
  54. ↑ Schultz, Jeffrey (1992). "Meese Report". Encyclopedia.com. https://www.encyclopedia.com/politics/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/meese-commission. 
  55. ↑ Farris, Michael (August 17, 2018). "Southern Poverty Law Center 'Hate' Labels Deserve a Vigorous Response". National Review. https://www.nationalreview.com/2018/08/southern-poverty-law-center-hate-label-deserves-vigorous-response/. 
  56. ↑ Michael Farris (5 July 2016). "I helped start the Moral Majority, and Trump's the opposite of what we want". https://tulsaworld.com/opinion/columnists/michael-farris-i-helped-start-the-moral-majority-and-trumps-the-opposite-of-what-we/article_17f73eda-7dfb-514c-b52e-f8b73f34ca4b.html. 
  57. ↑ Farris, Michael (2020-11-30). "Bill of Complaint, STATE OF A, Plaintiff, v. COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA, STATE OF, STATE OF ARIZONA, STATE OF GEORGIA, STATE OF MICHIGAN, STATE OF MINNESOTA, STATE OF NEVADA, AND STATE OF WISCONSIN". https://int.nyt.com/data/documenttools/2020-11-30-mike-farris/d46c984e22e52cef/full.pdf#page=5. 
  58. ↑ Lipton, Eric; Walker, Mark (2021-10-07). "Christian Conservative Lawyer Had Secretive Role in Bid to Block Election Result" (in en-US). The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/07/us/politics/religious-conservative-michael-farris-lawsuit-2020-election.html. 
  59. ↑ 59.0 59.1 "ADF names new president, CEO". Alliance Defending Freedom. August 19, 2022. https://adflegal.org/press-release/adf-names-new-president-ceo. 
  60. ↑ "A.P. Garçon Nicot v. France, APPLICATION NOS: 79885/12 52471/13, 52596/13". European Court of Human Rights Fifth Section. 2015. https://adflegal.blob.core.windows.net/international-content/docs/default-source/default-document-library/legal-documents/europe/ap-v.-france/ap-and-others-v-france---echr-brief.pdf?sfvrsn=10. 
  61. ↑ 61.0 61.1 61.2 Provost, Claire; Milburn, Ella (December 13, 2017). "Christian 'legal army' in hundreds of court battles worldwide". OpenDemocracy. https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/5050/christian-legal-army-court-battles-worldwide/. 
  62. ↑ 62.0 62.1 62.2 Pegg, David (March 28, 2019). "US fundamentalists spent £38m on European politics". The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/mar/28/us-fundamentalists-spent-38m-on-european-politics. 
  63. ↑ 63.0 63.1 63.2 "Transparency Register". European Union. March 17, 2022. https://ec.europa.eu/transparencyregister/public/consultation/displaylobbyist.do?id=69403354038-78. 
  64. ↑ 64.0 64.1 "ADF India". https://adfindia.org/. 
  65. ↑ 65.0 65.1 Capin Crouse, LLP (2022-10-27). "ALLIANCE DEFENDING FREEDOM AND AFFILIATES Consolidated Financial Statements With Independent Auditors Report, June 30, 2022 and 2021". https://www.adfplannedgiving.org/org_files/1498/pdf/2021%20and%202022%20ADF%20and%20Affiliates%20Audited%20Financials.pdf. 
  66. ↑ "Alliance Defending Freedom ". Exempt Organization Select Check. Internal Revenue Service. Retrieved September 9, 2016.
  67. ↑ 67.0 67.1 Stewart, Katherine (2011). The Good News Club: The Christian Right's Stealth Assault on America's Children. PublicAffairs. ISBN 978-1586488437. https://archive.org/details/goodnewsclubchri0000stew. 
  68. ↑ 68.0 68.1 68.2 68.3 "IRS Form 990: Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax". ProPublica. May 11, 2023. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/541660459/202331319349305353/full. 
  69. ↑ 69.0 69.1 "IRS Form 990: Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax". ProPublica. February 17, 2022. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/541660459/202230489349301023/full. 
  70. ↑ "Alliancer Defending Freedom Comparative Assets". http://www.ecfa.org/ComparativeFinancialData.aspx?ID=8972&Type=Member. 
  71. ↑ 71.0 71.1 Gjelten, Tom (February 3, 2017). "The Johnson Amendment In 5 Questions And Answers". NPR. https://www.npr.org/2017/02/03/513187940/the-johnson-amendment-in-five-questions-and-answers. 
  72. ↑ 72.0 72.1 Vile, John (January 10, 2020). "Johnson Amendment". First Amendment Encyclopedia. Middle Tennessee State University. https://mtsu.edu/first-amendment/article/1744/johnson-amendment. Retrieved July 24, 2022. 
  73. ↑ 73.0 73.1 Perez, Andrew (February 6, 2023). "The Far Right Is Funding Evangelical Super Bowl Sunday Ads" (in en-US). https://jacobin.com/2023/02/christian-super-bowl-ads-he-gets-us-servant-foundation-abortion-gay-rights. 
  74. ↑ Chrissy Stroop (March 21, 2022). "Behind the Inclusive-Sounding Ads of this $100 Million PR-Blitz-for-Jesus it's the Same Old Conservative Christian Fantasy" (in en-US). https://religiondispatches.org/behind-the-inclusive-sounding-ads-of-the-100-million-pr-blitz-for-jesus-its-the-same-old-white-conservative-fantasy/. 
  75. ↑ Baer, Maria (March 11, 2022). "$100M Ad Campaign Aims to Make Jesus the 'Biggest Brand in Your City'" (in en-US). Christianity Today. https://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2022/march/he-gets-us-ad-campaign-branding-jesus-church-marketing.html. 
  76. ↑ "The Bolthouse Foundation". The Bolthouse Foundation. April 8, 2013. http://www.thebolthousefoundation.org/. 
  77. ↑ Posner, Sarah (April 1, 2007). "The Legal Muscle Leading the Fight to End the Separation of Church and State". http://www.washingtonspectator.com/articles/20070401adf_2.cfm. 
  78. ↑ "Affirmation of Faith". http://www.thebolthousefoundation.org/Statement.html. 
  79. ↑ Curtis, Polly; Quinn, Ben (September 2, 2011). "Abortion debate: Dorries campaign urged to reveal how it is funded". BBC. https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2011/sep/02/abortion-debate-dorries-campaign. 
  80. ↑ Armiak, David (November 29, 2021). "Koch Spent Nearly $150 Million in 2020 to Extend His Influence and Promote His Agenda". Center for Media and Democracy. https://www.exposedbycmd.org/2021/11/29/koch-spent-nearly-150-million-2020. 
  81. ↑ Monahan, Rachel (April 11, 2016). "A Vancouver Charity is Funding a Group Backing North Carolina's Anti-Transgender "Bathroom Bill"". Willamette Week. http://www.wweek.com/2016/04/11/a-vancouver-charity-is-funding-a-group-backing-north-carolinas-anti-transgender-bathroom-bill/. 
  82. ↑ 82.0 82.1 "Transparency Register". European Union. March 16, 2023. https://ec.europa.eu/transparencyregister/public/consultation/displaylobbyist.do?id=69403354038-78. 
  83. ↑ Joel Stashenko (February 3, 2009). "Conservative Christian Group Targets New York". http://www.law.com/jsp/nylj/PubArticleNY.jsp?id=1202427943170&slreturn=1&hbxlogin=1. 
  84. ↑ Whetstone, Tyler. "Tennessee-based adoption agency refuses to help couple because they're Jewish" (in en-US). https://www.knoxnews.com/story/news/politics/2022/01/20/holston-united-methodist-home-for-children-adoption-tennessee-refused-family-jewish/6582864001/. 
  85. ↑ Hauser, Christine (January 22, 2022). "Tennessee Couple Says Adoption Agency Turned Them Away for Being Jewish" (in en-US). The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/22/us/tennessee-jewish-couple-adoption.html. 
  86. ↑ "Lawsuit: Tennessee adoption agency turned away Jewish couple" (in en). January 21, 2022. https://apnews.com/article/greeneville-tennessee-knoxville-religion-adoption-9af6f368678f48f01ab067e222782866. 
  87. ↑ Yang, Maya (January 22, 2022). "Tennessee Jewish couple sues state after Christian adoption agency denies them services". The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jan/22/tennessee-jewish-couple-sues-state-christian-adoption-agency-denies-them-services. 
  88. ↑ 88.0 88.1 Mattise, Jonathan (July 5, 2022). "Judges dismiss Jewish couple's suit alleging adoption bias". https://apnews.com/article/religion-lawsuits-tennessee-nashville-58900a55eb9344d4a51143325fa609c3. 
  89. ↑ "Rutan-Ram v. Tennessee Department of Children's Services". July 21, 2022. https://www.au.org/how-we-protect-religious-freedom/legal-cases/cases/rutan-ram-v-tennessee-department-of-childrens-services/. 
  90. ↑ 90.0 90.1 Smith, Tim (October 23, 2018). "Religious freedom or discrimination? Anti-Defamation League fights Miracle Hill request". https://www.greenvilleonline.com/story/news/local/south-carolina/2018/10/23/anti-defamation-league-seeks-denial-governors-miracle-hill-request-religious-freedom-discrimination/1740414002/. 
  91. ↑ 91.0 91.1 Currie, Lydia (February 7, 2019). "I Was Barred From Becoming a Foster Parent Because I Am Jewish". http://www.5tjt.com/i-was-barred-from-becoming-a-foster-parent-because-i-am-jewish/. 
  92. ↑ Davis, Angelia (January 23, 2019). "Miracle Hill gets religious exemption to provide foster care in SC despite complaints". The Greenville News. https://www.greenvilleonline.com/story/news/2019/01/23/miracle-hill-religious-protections-greenville-sc/2647848002/. 
  93. ↑ Posner, Sarah (June 15, 2018). "South Carolina Sought an Exemption to Allow a Foster-Care Agency to Discriminate Against Non-Christians". The Nation. https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/south-carolina-sought-exemption-allow-foster-care-agency-discriminate-non-christians/. 
  94. ↑ Schiffer, Kathy (July 24, 2019). "Miracle Hill Ministries Changes Rule, Accepts Catholic Foster Parents". National Catholic Register. https://www.ncregister.com/blog/miracle-hill-ministries-changes-rule-accepts-catholic-foster-parents. 
  95. ↑ Richardson, Valerie (January 28, 2019). "Miracle Hill Ministries foster care targeted in religious-freedom fight". Washington Times. https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2019/jan/28/miracle-hill-ministries-foster-care-targeted-relig/. 
  96. ↑ "Churches Face Mounting Religious Liberty Threats". Alliance Defending Freedom Church Alliance. https://www.adfchurchalliance.org/standforfreedom. 
  97. ↑ "Christian adoption agencies to US Supreme Court: Let us help children find loving homes". Alliance Defending Freedom. June 3, 2020. https://adflegal.org/press-release/christian-adoption-agencies-us-supreme-court-let-us-help-children-find-loving-homes. 
  98. ↑ Hurley, Lawrence (July 2, 2021). "U.S. Supreme Court rebuffs appeal by florist who spurned gay couple" (in en). Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-supreme-court-rebuffs-appeal-by-florist-who-spurned-gay-couple-2021-07-02/. 
  99. ↑ Compton, Julie (November 14, 2018). "Activists take aim at anti-LGBTQ 'hate group,' Alliance Defending Freedom" (in en). NBC News. https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/activists-takes-aim-anti-lgbtq-hate-group-alliance-defending-freedom-n936391. 
  100. ↑ Staff (July 2013) "Dangerous Liaisons: The American Religious Right & the Criminalization of Homosexuality in Belize" Southern Poverty Law Center
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  104. ↑ "Statement of Faith". Alliance Defending Freedom. January 15, 2020. https://adflegal.org/about-us/careers/statement-of-faith. 
  105. ↑ Hurley, Lawrence (June 15, 2020). "In landmark ruling, Supreme Court bars discrimination against LGBT workers". Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-court-lgbt-idUSKBN23M20N. 
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  107. ↑ "Indiana transgender athlete ban draws increasing pushback". February 10, 2022. https://www.thestar.com/news/world/us/2022/02/10/clarification-us-indiana-legislature-schools-story.html. 
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  109. ↑ Zhan Chiam, Sandra Duffy, Matilda González Gil, Lara Goodwin, and Nigel Timothy Mpemba Patel (2020). Trans Legal Mapping Report 2019: Recognition before the law (Report). https://ilga.org/downloads/ILGA_World_Trans_Legal_Mapping_Report_2019_EN.pdf. Retrieved December 4, 2022. 
  110. ↑ "Our Bodies, Our Sports". https://ourbodiesoursports.com/. 
  111. ↑ "Experts on white nationalism say anti-trans rally in DC part of larger threat to democracy". The American Independent. https://americanindependent.com/white-nationalism-lgbtq-our-bodies-our-sports-anti-tran-rally-washington/. 
  112. ↑ "What the Supreme Court's gay wedding website ruling means for LGBTQ rights" (in en). 2023-06-30. https://www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-news/supreme-courts-gay-wedding-website-ruling-means-lgbtq-rights-rcna92022. 
  113. ↑ Kruzel, John (2023-07-03). "LGBT rights yield to religious interests at US Supreme Court" (in en). Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/legal/lgbt-rights-yield-religious-interests-us-supreme-court-2023-07-01/. 
  114. ↑ "The Supreme Court rules for a designer who doesn't want to make wedding websites for gay couples" (in en). 2023-06-30. https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-gay-rights-website-designer-aa529361bc939c837ec2ece216b296d5. 
  115. ↑ "Legitimacy of 'customer' in Supreme Court gay rights case raises ethical and legal flags" (in en). 2023-07-03. https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-gay-rights-lgbtq-website-9c058addfdd581ce0ead81eb59660130. 
  116. ↑ Sosin, Kate (2020-10-15). "Amy Coney Barrett Has Ties To an Anti-LGBTQ Hate Group" (in en-US). https://msmagazine.com/2020/10/15/amy-coney-barrett-alliance-defending-freedom-adf-lgbtq-hate-group/. 
  117. ↑ Leah Barkoukis (July 7, 2023). "ADF Sets the Record Straight After the Left Attempts to Discredit 303 Creative Case". https://townhall.com/tipsheet/leahbarkoukis/2023/07/07/adf-sets-the-record-straight-on-303-creative-case-n2625413. 
  118. ↑ Swaine, Jon; Reinhard, Beth (2023-09-27). "Inside the tactics that won Christian vendors the right to reject gay weddings" (in en-US). Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/2023/09/24/alliance-defending-freedom-wedding-lawsuit/. 
  119. ↑ Littlefield, Amy (November 30, 2021). "The Christian Legal Army Behind the Ban on Abortion in Mississippi". The Nation. https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/alliance-defending-freedom-dobbs/. 
  120. ↑ "Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine et al v. U.S. Food and Drug Administration et al" (in en). https://www.law360.com/cases/6377d1beb6593203c70c9b44. 
  121. ↑ Smith, Jordan (February 28, 2023). "The Shadow Medical Community Behind the Attempt to Ban Medication Abortion" (in en). https://theintercept.com/2023/02/28/medication-abortion-lawsuit/. 
  122. ↑ McCann, Allison; Walker, Amy Schoenfeld (2023-03-02). "Where Restrictions on Abortion Pills Could Matter Most in the U.S." (in en-US). The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/03/02/us/abortion-pill-lawsuit-mifepristone.html. 
  123. ↑ "In lawsuit challenging FDA approval of abortion pills, state attorneys general weigh in" (in en). February 11, 2023. https://www.nbcnews.com/health/womens-health/lawsuit-seeks-to-reverse-fda-approval-abortion-pills-rcna70207. 
  124. ↑ Pierson, Brendan (2023-01-17). "Reversing abortion drug's approval would harm public interest, U.S. FDA says" (in en). Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/world/us/reversing-abortion-drugs-approval-would-harm-public-interest-us-fda-says-2023-01-17/. 
  125. ↑ Willis, David (June 30, 2014). "Hobby Lobby case: Court curbs contraception mandate". BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/news/28093756. 
  126. ↑ O'Donoghue, Amy Joi (July 5, 2014). "Group protests Hobby Lobby decision on birth control". Deseret News. http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865606395/Group-protests-Hobby-Lobby-decision-on-birth-control.html?pg=all. 
  127. ↑ Barrett, Paul (July 7, 2014). "A Supreme Feud Over Birth Control: Four Blunt Points". BusinessWeek. http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-07-07/supreme-court-feuds-over-the-hobby-lobby-birth-control-ruling. 
  128. ↑ Blake, Aaron (June 30, 2014). "A LOT of people could be affected by the Supreme Court's birth control decision — theoretically". Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2014/06/30/a-lot-of-people-could-be-affected-by-the-supreme-courts-birth-control-decision/. 
  129. ↑ Mears, Bill; Tom Cohen (June 30, 2014). "Supreme Court rules against Obama in contraception case". CNN. http://www.cnn.com/2014/06/30/politics/scotus-obamacare-contraception/. 
  130. ↑ Rick Rojas (28 November 2014). "In Arizona, a Textbook Fuels a Broader Dispute Over Sex Education". New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/28/us/in-arizona-a-textbook-fuels-a-broader-dispute-over-sex-education.html. 
  131. ↑ ADF website: Members of the European Parliament speak out for Freedom of Conscience . Retrieved January 24, 2017
  132. ↑ Holst, Lindsay (June 30, 2014). "The Supreme Court's Hobby Lobby Decision". https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/blog/2014/06/30/supreme-courts-hobby-lobby-decision. 
  133. ↑ Cordero, Mónica; Cariboni, Diana; Ferreira, Lou (December 3, 2021). "US 'dark money' groups behind Mississippi abortion case spend millions overseas". https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/5050/us-rightwing-mississippi-abortion/. 
  134. ↑ 134.0 134.1 Provost, Claire; Geoghegan, Peter (March 20, 2019). "Revealed: US anti-LGBT 'hate group' dramatically increases UK spending". openDemocracy. https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/5050/revealed-us-anti-lgbt-hate-group-dramatically-increases-uk-spending/. 
  135. ↑ Sveriges Radio 24 januari 2017: Abortvägrande barnmorskor får stöd av amerikansk lobby . Retrieved January 24, 2017
  136. ↑ ADF website 27 januari 2016: Sweden faces human rights problem . Retrieved January 24, 2017
  137. ↑ Sveriges Radio 24 januari 2017: Abortvägrande barnmorskan välkomnar lobbyns stöd . Retrieved January 24, 2017
  138. ↑ SVT 23 augusti 2013: Sverige behöver ett starkare rättsskydd för ofödda barn . Retrieved January 24, 2017
  139. ↑ "The right to die in Belgium: An inside look at the world's most liberal euthanasia law". PBS NewsHour. January 15, 2015. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/right-die-belgium-inside-worlds-liberal-euthanasia-laws. 
  140. ↑ Press Country Profile (Report). European Court of Human Rights. January 2022. https://www.echr.coe.int/documents/cp_belgium_eng.pdf. Retrieved March 20, 2022. 
  141. ↑ "Affirm Dignity - End Euthanasia". June 17, 2020. https://adfindia.org/campaigns/affirm-dignity-end-euthanasia/. 
  142. ↑ Koeninger, Kevin (November 4, 2021). "Right-wing news outlet asks court to block employer vaccine mandate". https://www.courthousenews.com/conservative-news-outlet-asks-court-to-block-employer-vaccine-mandate/. 
  143. ↑ McCool, Alice; Wepukhulu, Khatondi Soita (January 21, 2022). "US conservatives spreading anti-vax misinformation to unvaccinated Uganda". Open Democracy. https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/5050/us-conservatives-spread-anti-vaccine-covid-misinformation-uganda/. 
  144. ↑ "Challenging Uganda's Worship Ban #LetUsWorship". ADF International. https://adfinternational.org/let-us-worship-uganda/. 
  145. ↑ "Open doors: court declares worship ban unlawful". ADF International. March 24, 2021. https://adf.uk/worshipban/. 
  146. ↑ Learmonth, Andrew (February 17, 2022). "ADF International back Glasgow priest's Covid court battle with government". The National. https://www.thenational.scot/news/19097739.adf-international-back-glasgow-priests-covid-court-battle-government/. 
  147. ↑ de Vogue, Ariane; Stracqualursi, Veronica; Schouten, Fredreka (July 1, 2021). "Supreme Court invalidates California's donor disclosure requirement". CNN. https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/01/politics/california-charitable-contributions-dark-money-supreme-court/index.html. Retrieved July 1, 2021. 
  148. ↑ 148.0 148.1 Dexter, Duggan (February 16, 2014). "How tomorrow's legal activists start the journey with a trip to Arizona". https://arizonadailyindependent.com/2014/02/16/how-tomorrows-legal-activists-start-the-journey-with-a-trip-to-arizona/. 
  149. ↑ 149.0 149.1 "ADF Launches 'Christmas Project' to Protect Right to Religious Expression". The Christian Post. November 29, 2004. https://www.christianpost.com/news/adf-launches-christmas-project-to-protect-right-to-religious-expression-20740/. 
  150. ↑ Dimond, Anna; Brown, Joe (October 14, 2007). "What is the Alliance Defense Fund, and why does Bill O'Reilly advocate donating to it?". Media Matters for America. https://www.mediamatters.org/bill-oreilly/what-alliance-defense-fund-and-why-does-bill-oreilly-advocate-donating-it. 
  151. ↑ "Alliance Defense Fund Announces Plan to Fight Censorship of Christmas". Alliance Defending Freedom. October 20, 2003. https://adflegal.org/detailspages/press-release-details/alliance-defense-fund-announces-plan-to-fight-censorship-of-christmas. 
  152. ↑ Day of Truth participation statistics , Day of Truth website
  153. ↑ "Pastors shouldn't endorse politicians". National Alliance of Evangelicals. https://www.nae.org/pastors-shouldnt-endorse-politicians/. 
  154. ↑ Lampman, Jane (September 26, 2008). "Pulpit politics: Pastors to defy IRS". The Christian Science Monitor. https://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/2008/0926/p03s02-uspo.html. 
  155. ↑ Kumar, Anugrah (October 11, 2014). "Over 1,800 Pastors Take Part in Pulpit Freedom Sunday". The Christian Post. https://www.christianpost.com/news/over-1800-pastors-take-part-in-pulpit-freedom-sunday-127914/. 
  156. ↑ Brunson, Samuel (July 30, 2018). "Congress could declaw restrictions on politicking from the pulpit — over the objections of many churches". The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/congress-could-declaw-restrictions-on-politicking-from-the-pulpit-over-the-objections-of-many-churches-100575. 
  157. ↑ 157.0 157.1 157.2 157.3 157.4 157.5 Sears, Alan (October 17, 2017). "With Gratitude, for the Giants Whose Shoulders ADF Stands On" (in en). https://adflegal.org/blog/gratitude-giants-whose-shoulders-adf-stands. 
  158. ↑ 158.0 158.1 158.2 158.3 158.4 158.5 "Blackstone Legal Fellowship". Alliance Defending Freedom. http://www.blackstonelegalfellowship.org/. 
  159. ↑ "Paul Coleman". https://adfinternational.org/paul-coleman/. 
  160. ↑ 160.0 160.1 160.2 "Leadership". Alliance Defending Freedom. 2018. https://www.adflegal.org/about-us/leadership. 
  161. ↑ Duncan, Stuart Kyle. "Kyle Duncan". https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/Duncan%20SJQ1.pdf. 
  162. ↑ Ross, Janell (June 1, 2016). "Who, exactly, is David French, the 'Never Trump' white knight candidate?". The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/06/01/who-exactly-is-david-french-the-never-trump-white-knight-candidate/. 
  163. ↑ Lane, Emily (May 15, 2015). "Religious freedom bill sponsor Rep. Mike Johnson: Superman for Louisiana's religious right?". The Times-Picayune. http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2015/05/mike_johnson_religious_freedom_1.html. 
  164. ↑ Broach, Drew (January 19, 2018). "Kyle Duncan, Michael Juneau backed in 11-10 votes to be federal judges in Louisiana". The Times-Picayune. http://www.nola.com/national_politics/2018/01/kyle_duncan_michael_juneau_sen.html. 
  165. ↑ Jennifer Bendery (October 24, 2018). "Senate's Out? Nobody's Around? Perfect Time To Advance Trump's Court Picks, Says GOP." (in en-US). Huffington Post. https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/trump-judicial-nominees-republicans_us_5bd0c08ee4b0d38b587f50e6. 
  166. ↑ "Trump's new federal judge has ties to anti-gay 'hate group'". March 6, 2019. https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/trump-s-newly-confirmed-federal-judge-has-ties-anti-gay-n980281. 
  167. ↑ "Meet Alan". Alan Seabrough State Representative. http://alanseabaugh.com/about-alana-seabaugh-louisianastate-representative/. 
  168. ↑ "Legal experts question judge's order telling Southwest lawyers to get religious-liberty training". August 12, 2023. https://thehill.com/homenews/ap/ap-business/ap-legal-experts-question-judges-order-telling-southwest-lawyers-to-get-religious-liberty-training/. 
  169. ↑ "ADF celebrates extraordinary life of Judge Ken Starr, religious liberty champion". September 14, 2022. https://adflegal.org/press-release/adf-celebrates-extraordinary-life-judge-ken-starr-religious-liberty-champion. 
  170. ↑ "Questionnaire for Judicial Nominees - Lawrence VanDyke". U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee. https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/download/vandyke-responses-to-questions-for-the-record&download=1. 
  171. ↑ Bierschbach, Briana (January 10, 2018). "The campaign to become Minnesota's next attorney general is crowded, intense — and very much under the radar". MinnPost. https://www.minnpost.com/politics-policy/2018/01/campaign-become-minnesotas-next-attorney-general-crowded-intense-and-very-mu. 
  172. ↑ Villarreal, Daniel (February 17, 2021). "MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell's Lawyer Doug Wardlow Announces Run for Minnesota Attorney General". Newsweek. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/mypillow-ceo-mike-lindell-s-lawyer-doug-wardlow-announces-run-for-minnesota-attorney-general/ar-BB1dM0zR. 

Further reading

  • Budziszewski, J. (2006). Natural Law For Lawyers. ACW Press and The Blackstone Legal Fellowship. ISBN 978-1932124798. 
  • Jones, Emma (June 2016). "Fair Access Versus Religious Freedom: A Difficult Balance". Oxford Journal of Law and Religion 5 (2): 359–364. doi:10.1093/ojlr/rww018. 

External links



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