Liberty Counsel

NJ Bill Enforces LGBT Agenda in Public Schools

TRENTON, NJ -- A bill that directs the New Jersey Commissioner of Education to review and modify public school guidelines to accommodate and promote the rights of "transgender" students, in accordance with current State or federal laws and regulations, has passed the Senate and the Assembly and goes to the Governor for consideration. Liberty Counsel sent a letter to Governor Chris Christie encouraging him to veto the bill.

Palestinian Muslims Rebel Against Temple Mount Security

JERUSALEM, ISRAEL - Following a deadly attack last Friday in which two Israel police officers were murdered and a third was seriously wounded, Israel temporarily closed the Temple Mount because they found that weapons had been smuggled into the Al-Aqsa Mosque. The Temple Mount, where the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock are located, was reopened Sunday with metal detectors installed. The Waqf, which Israel has allowed to control the Temple Mount, urged Muslims to refuse to go through the metal detectors and has called for protests and rage against Israel. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has now asked the White House to pressure Israel to remove the metal detectors.

Kim Davis and Rowan County Not Liable for Attorney's Fees

ASHLAND, KY - Today, U.S. District Judge David Bunning ruled that neither Kim Davis nor Rowan County are liable for attorney's fees over the marriage license issue that began in 2015. Judge Bunning did overrule the Magistrate's Findings and Recommendations that concluded the ACLU was not entitled to any attorney's fees because the plaintiffs were not the prevailing party. Bunning found that the temporary preliminary injunction entitled the plaintiffs to attorney's fees and went on to rule that the Commonwealth of Kentucky would be liable to pay the fees and costs, not Kim Davis or Rowan County.

Indiana Schools Discriminate Against Christian Club

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - Liberty Counsel is presenting argument in federal court today to require an Indiana school district to grant Child Evangelism Fellowship (CEF) equal access to school facilities for the ministry's Good News Clubs. The case, Child Evangelism Fellowship of Indiana, Inc. v. Indiana Metropolitan School District of Pike Township, seeks to secure the same access and benefits for the Good News Clubs that non-religious groups currently enjoy.

So-called Conservative Legislators Cave to LGBT Agenda

WASHINGTON, D.C -- The House of Representatives voted 209 to 214 yesterday to defeat the amendment would have put an end to the use of military funding for "sex change" surgeries. There are 24 Republicans who voted on the side of the LGBT lobby to defeat the amendment.

Legislators Seek to Stop Funding Palestinian Terrorism

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Senate Foreign Relations Committee began hearings yesterday on S.474, known as the Taylor Force Act, which will defund the Palestinian Authority (PA) until they cease and denounce their "Pay to Slay" policy, which rewards terrorists and their families for acts against Israel and the United States. Liberty Counsel and Christians in Defense of Israel have been instrumental in encouraging legislators to hold this hearing.

Plaintiffs Seek to Punish Kim Davis

ASHLAND, KY -- Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis, represented by Liberty Counsel, filed new Motions to Dismiss this week in the 2015 marriage license lawsuits Ermold v. Davis and Yates v. Davis, which seek to punish Davis financially for refusing to violate her deeply held religious convictions. The two cases were dismissed a year ago but were reinstated following an appeal.

House Committee Bill Prohibits LGBT Special Rights

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The Civil Rights Uniformity Act, known as H.R. 2796, was recently introduced by the House Committee on the Judiciary to prohibit in all federal anti-discrimination laws the plain meaning of "sex" and "gender," from being interpreted to denote "gender identity."

UNESCO's Hebron Resolution Denounces Israel Heritage

JERUSALEM, ISRAEL -- The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Committee passed a resolution last Friday which declares that the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron is a Palestinian heritage site. Twelve of the World Heritage Committee's 21 member states voted in favor of the resolution, three opposed it and six abstained.

Oregon House Passes Bill for Free Abortions

SALEM, OR -- The Oregon House of Representatives passed HB 3391, known as the Reproductive Health Equity Act, which requires health insurers and taxpayers to fund free abortions for residents and illegal immigrants. The bill passed 33-23 last Saturday and has now advanced to the state Senate for consideration.

Mennonite Church Passes Anti-Israel Resolution

ORLANDO, FL -- The Mennonite Church USA voted yesterday to sell off its holdings in companies that profit from what the church described as the “Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories.” The decision was made in Orlando at a national Mennonite convention, which represented 75,000 church members.

Defense Department Delays Obama's "Transgender" Policy

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Defense Secretary James Mattis announced just hours before a July 1 deadline that he will defer implementation of the so-called transgender policy until January 1, 2018. The Obama-era policy would have allowed incoming service members identifying as "transgender" to enlist if they have been "stable" in their gender identity for 18 months. Such a policy is wide-reaching, applying to use of barracks, bathrooms, shower rooms, and coerced "training" of military and civilian personnel. The Obama policy directly undermines unit readiness as well as religious and conscience objections.

Army Personnel Object to "Transgender Training"

Fort Benning, GA - Liberty Counsel has issued a letter to Fort Benning Army Base commanding officers requesting them to comply with the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) and the Department of Defense (DOD) Instruction which provides Army personnel religious accommodation and exemption from so-called "transgender" directives which violate their sincerely held religious beliefs and conscience.

Harrisburg Loses Again on Abortion Buffer Zone Law

HARRISBURG, PA - The Third Circuit Court of Appeals denied the City of Harrisburg's request to rehear the case brought by Liberty Counsel's pro-life clients, Colleen Reilly and Becky Biter, in their lawsuit against a Harrisburg ordinance which created unconstitutional "buffer zones" that silence pro-life speech on public sidewalks around abortion clinics.

Liberty Counsel Sues GuideStar Over False “Hate Group” Label

Liberty Counsel filed a federal lawsuit against GuideStar over the false and defamatory “hate group” label it placed on GuideStar’s Liberty Counsel page.

Liberty Counsel Defends FL County for Ten Commandments Monument

LEVY COUNTY, FL - Late yesterday Liberty Counsel filed a Motion for Summary Judgement in American Atheists, Inc. v. Levy County, where a local atheist and an atheist group claim that the Ten Commandments monument next to the county courthouse violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.

Supreme Court Takes the Cake Case

WASHINGTON, DC - The U.S. Supreme Court agreed today to hear Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission and decide whether the government can force a Lakewood, Colorado cake artist to use his artistic talents to create a wedding cake celebrating a same-sex ceremony.

Religious Liberty Victory at Supreme Court

WASHINGTON, DC - The U.S. Supreme Court ruled today in favor of religious liberty in Trinity Lutheran Church v. Pauley and voted 7-2 that excluding the Trinity Lutheran Church from public grant program violates the First Amendment's Free Exercise Clause and the Fourteenth Amendment's Equal Protection Clause.

Religious Liberties Protected in FL Public Schools

TALLAHASSEE, FL - Governor Rick Scott recently signed SB 436, known as the "Florida Student and School Personnel Religious Liberties Act," which prohibits public school districts from discrimination against students, parents, or personnel on basis of religious views or expression.

Senate's Healthcare Draft Includes Pro-life Provisions

WASHINGTON - Seven weeks after the House of Representatives passed the American Health Care Act, today the Senate released a "discussion draft" that would prevent women from using federal tax credits to buy plans that cover abortion and that blocks the nation's largest abortion mill, Planned Parenthood, from receiving federal funds for one year.