Liberty Counsel

Court Dismisses 14 of the 15 Counts Against Sandra Merritt

SAN FRANCISCO - Today, the San Francisco Superior Court dismissed criminal counts 1-14 against Sandra "Susan" Merritt. The court ruled that counts 1-14 were legally insufficient. The state has the opportunity to amend if it can plead a more legally sufficient and specific complaint. The California's Attorney General filed 15 criminal counts against Merritt, with counts 1-14 for each of the alleged interviews and count 15 for an alleged conspiracy.

DOE Gets Failing Grade for So-called Transgender

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has issued a memo to public schools and teachers explaining that refusal to refer to so-called transgender students by their preferred pronoun or name could be grounds for an investigation.

D.C. Shooter a Fan of the Southern Poverty Law Center

ALEXANDRIA, VA – The D.C. shooter was a Facebook fan of the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), a reckless organization that falsely labels people and organizations as "haters" or "hate groups." The SPLC has now admitted James Hodgkinson "liked" the SPLC on Facebook.

Harrisburg Abortion Center Closed After Ordinance Win

HARRISBURG, PA - Two weeks after the Court of Appeals ruled in favor of Liberty Counsel's pro-life clients in their lawsuit against a Harrisburg ordinance which created buffer zones that silenced pro-life speech on public sidewalks around abortion clinics, one of the abortion centers involved in the case has closed. Hillcrest Women's Medical Center in Harrisburg now has a sign on the door that reads "Office will be closed until further notice."

Victory for American Pastor Falsely Accused of 'Crimes Against Humanity'

SPRINGFIELD, MA - Late yesterday, Liberty Counsel client and American pastor Scott Lively won summary judgment against the foreign LGBT activists, Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG), which sued Lively for sharing his biblical views on homosexuality during three visits to Uganda in 2002 and 2009. The summary judgment order, entered by U.S. District Judge Michael A. Ponsor, puts an end to SMUG's attempt to silence Lively and others who speak internationally about the LGBT agenda.

Legislators Push to Prohibit Gender Identity Counseling

BOSTON -- Today the Massachusetts Joint Committee on Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities (chaired by Representative Kay Khan and Senator Jennifer Flanagan) held a hearing on H1190, an overly broad piece of legislation that would prohibit an entire class of patients from accessing the talk therapy, labeled "sexual orientation change efforts" (SOCE), they desire. The legislation prohibits any social worker, doctor, counselor, or human service professional from engaging in therapy that attempts to aid a minor in a desired change in sexual orientation or gender identity from a LGBT supportive position. This is referred to as a "Counseling Ban Bill."

Liberty Counsel Responds to SPLC Lawsuit

BURLINGTON, VT - Today, Liberty Counsel filed a comprehensive response in federal court to the lawsuit backed by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) in the case of Jenkins v. Miller, et al. The legal Memorandum of Law is 116 pages, not counting affidavits. Liberty Counsel also filed a second Motion and Memorandum of Law raising Vermont's anti-SLAPP, which prevents suits designed to restrict free speech.

Sandra Merritt Seeks Dismissal of Criminal Charges

SAN FRANCISCO - Sandra 'Susan' Merritt has filed a Motion to Dismiss asking the San Francisco Superior Court to dismiss the politically-motivated criminal complaint brought against her by the State of California, because it is legally deficient.

Court Rules Against Harrisburg Abortion Law

HARRISBURG, PA - Today, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of 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. The federal Court of Appeals held that the lower court erred when it denied Liberty Counsel's request to immediately prohibit further enforcement of the ordinance.

Orlando Church Promotes Pro-LGBT Agenda

ORLANDO, FL -- Northland Community Church and Pastor Joel Hunter recently hosted a pro-LGBT event, "Elevating the Dialogue on LGBTQ Inclusion and Understanding in the Church," with the overt message to "affirm" LGBTQ in and around Orlando.

Texas House Gets Tough on Abortion

AUSTIN, TEXAS -- The Texas House voted 96-47 on Friday regarding legislation that bans the most common second-trimester abortion procedure and regulates how health care providers dispose of unborn baby body remains.

Birth Certificate Finally Reflects Restored Life

SACRAMENTO, CA - It was 34 years to the day that Walt Heyer's birth certificate was changed from "male" to "female" that his restored birth certificate finally arrived in his mail reflecting his birth sex as "male."

Tampa School District Must Stop the Bullying

TAMPA, FL - Liberty Counsel renewed a previous demand with a follow-up letter to Hillsborough County Public Schools regarding its pitiful investigation and whitewash of the discriminatory bullying behavior of Lora Jane Riedas, a math teacher at Riverview High School.

Liberty Counsel Ranks Among Most Effective Conservative Organizations

ORLANDO, FL - A survey of politically active Christians found that Liberty Counsel was named the top 12 most effective organization, making "the most positive impact on American society during 2016," according to the American Culture & Faith Institute (Culture and Faith Institute).

Move the Embassy to Jerusalem

WASHINGTON -- Approximately 60 Christian leaders, representing 60 million Christians across America, signed a letter delivered yesterday to President Donald Trump calling on him to move the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem and thus recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

Kentucky Printer Can Refuse LGBT Message

LEXINGTON, KY - The Kentucky Court of Appeals ruling on Friday affirmed a printer who objected to promoting a message for Lexington's Gay and Lesbian Services Organization (GLSO) which conflicted with his sincerely held religious beliefs. Hands On Originals' managing owner, Blaine Adamson, represented by Alliance Defending Freedom, refused to print T-shirts for the 2012 Lexington Pride Festival because he disagreed with the shirt's message of "pride in being gay."

Liberty Counsel Again Ensures Students' Free Speech

ORLANDO - Liberty Counsel is already negotiating with a school that attempted to censor students' free speech because of religious content. Every spring, atheists and uneducated individuals seek to remove God from public school graduations. Every year, Liberty Counsel acts to ensure that prayer and religious viewpoints are not censored during these ceremonies.

State Department Expands Pro-life Policy

WASHINGTON - Under President Trump's administration, the State Department announced today plans to expand the Mexico City policy that bans U.S. funding for abortions overseas. The expanded policy, known as "Protecting Life in Global Health Assistance," prohibits U.S. taxpayer money from funding foreign organizations that perform or actively promote abortion as a method of family planning.

Bathroom Policy Back in Court

RICHMOND, VA - Today, Liberty Counsel filed an amicus brief at the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals on behalf of a Virginia school board on the so-called bathroom transgender decision in G.G. v. Gloucester County School Board. The brief was filed on behalf of Dr. Judith Reisman and the Center for Child Protection Institute.

Oklahoma House Resolves to Protect Unborn Children

OKLAHOMA CITY - Oklahoma's House of Representatives passed a resolution on Monday declaring abortion to be murder and calling on state officials at every level to work to support life.