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Advocates in Action
Press Release | Federal Court Dismisses Parental Rights Lawsuit — Advocates For Faith & Freedom Appeal California Vaccine Mandate To Ninth Circuit
ADVOCATES FOR FAITH & FREEDOM
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Wednesday, April 16, 2025
CONTACT: Nicole Velasco
NVELASCO@FAITH-FREEDOM.COM
Murrieta, CA— Today, Advocates for Faith and Freedom appealed a United States District Court for the Southern District of California’s decision granting the State of California’s motion to dismiss a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of Senate Bill 277 (SB 277), the 2016 law that eliminated all personal and religious belief exemptions from California’s state law which requires 17 vaccinations for K-12 school attendance.[1] Despite the district court’s decision to dismiss the case, Advocates for Faith & Freedom is appealing to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit to protect religious liberty and parental rights in education.
The plaintiffs in the case, four California mothers, brought this challenge to SB 277 on the grounds that the law violates their First Amendment right to the free exercise of religion and to live out and remain faithful to their sincerely held religious beliefs by raising their children in accordance with their family’s shared faith. For families who object to vaccinations on religious grounds, California law effectively bans their children from attending both public and private schools in California.
“This law targets families of faith by denying them the basic right to make medical and educational decisions. The law takes the drastic step of banning children from the schoolhouse due to their sincerely held religious beliefs and those of their families. Yet, the law makes numerous exemptions for non-religious reasons such as the student’s age, need for specialized learning accommodations, availability of vaccination records, etc. The parents we represent think remaining true to their faith is at least as important as the numerous non-faith based categories that California already exempts,” said Robert Tyler, President of Advocates for Faith & Freedom. “We are appealing because California cannot simply erase the Constitution when it becomes politically inconvenient. This is about more than vaccines,” Mr. Tyler added. “It’s about the future of religious liberty and parental rights in America.”
In its ruling, the district court held that SB 277 is a “neutral and generally applicable” law, even though it permits secular exemptions for a number of secular reasons while offering no accommodation for religious beliefs. This double standard sets a dangerous precedent, tipping the scales of power from parents to the State in matters of personal belief and family life.
“At the heart of this case is a simple truth: parents, not the State, are the rightful stewards of their children’s wellbeing,” said Advocates attorney Julianne Fleischer. “We cannot remain silent while the government tramples the constitutional rights of Christian families whose only ‘offense’ is raising their children according to their faith.”
[1] https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/CDPH%20Document%20Library/Immunization/IMM-231.pdf
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Press Release | SCHOOL BOARD WIN VINDICATED: COURT REJECTS ATTEMPT TO OVERTURN GRASSROOTS VICTORY
ADVOCATES FOR FAITH & FREEDOM
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2025
CONTACT: Nicole Velasco
NVELASCO@FAITH-FREEDOM.COM
Murrieta, CA— In a decisive victory for the will of the people, Mercy Peña will retain her duly elected seat on the Greenfield School District Board of Trustees following the court’s denial of a last-ditch effort to overturn her hard-earned grassroots victory. The ruling confirms what has been clear from the start – Ms. Peña’s victory reflects the true voice of the voters.
Ms. Peña, a dedicated community member and advocate for parental rights in education, overcame staggering odds to secure her seat with 1,012 votes against the incumbent’s 1,008. Running without the financial backing or political machinery enjoyed by career politicians, Ms. Peña took her message directly to the people, engaging in a relentless door-to-door campaign.
However, after the election results were certified and Ms. Peña was sworn into office, political opponents sought to undo the will of the voters by contesting the results. Citing an administrative ballot error by the Kern County Elections Division, petitioners attempted to force a new election, despite failing to provide any evidence that the alleged improperly cast votes affected the outcome.
“This was never about fairness or integrity—it was about a school board trying to silence the voters and push their own agenda,” said Robert Tyler, attorney for Ms. Peña. “The court saw through this blatant power grab and upheld the will of the people. Mercy Peña was elected to serve the community, not the board’s special interests, and that’s exactly what she will continue to do.”
Notably, the court found no evidence of misconduct by Ms. Peña or the Elections Division. The law is clear: in order to overturn an election, petitioners must demonstrate that the alleged illegal votes changed the outcome—something they utterly failed to do. Despite this, the Greenfield Union School District itself joined the challenge against Ms. Peña, raising serious concerns about conflicts of interest and the misuse of taxpayer resources to target an elected official.
“This was never about election integrity,” said Mercy Peña. “This was about keeping a conservative voice off the school board. Thankfully, justice prevailed.”
Ms. Peña remains committed to serving the families and students of Greenfield with integrity, transparency, and a firm commitment to upholding the values of parental rights and academic excellence. Her victory is not just a personal triumph, but a win for every voter who believes in fair elections and accountable governance.
As she takes her rightful place on the board, Ms. Peña invites the community to stay engaged, hold their elected officials accountable, and continue fighting for policies that put students and families first.
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Press Release | SAVE GIRLS’ SPORTS: LAWSUIT EXPANDS TO CHALLENGE CALIFORNIA LAW THAT ALLOWS BOYS TO PLAY ON GIRLS’ SPORTS
ADVOCATES FOR FAITH & FREEDOM
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: FRIDAY, JANUARY 31, 2025
CONTACT: Nicole Velasco
NVELASCO@FAITH-FREEDOM.COM
Murrieta, CA— Today, two female high school athletes from California, K.S. and T.S., along with their families, and the Save Girls’ Sports association, filed an amended federal lawsuit against the State of California, Riverside Unified School District, and school officials. The lawsuit now challenges AB 1266, the radical California law that requires schools to allow biological males to compete in girls’ sports and use female bathrooms. This law conflicts with federal Title IX protections, which were established to ensure fairness, safety, and equal opportunities for female students and athletes.
AB 1266 undermines female athletes, forcing them to compete against biological males who hold undeniable physical advantages. This is not equality. This is an assault on fairness, safety, and the
As a result of AB 1266 and the school district’s discriminatory practices, school officials removed T.S. from the girls’ varsity cross-country team and replaced her with a biological male who had previously broken female cross-country records at another high school. In an effort to speak out against this unfair treatment, T.S. and K.S. wore shirts displaying the message “Save Girls’ Sports” and “It’s Common Sense. XX ≠ XY.” However, school officials then ordered them to remove or cover the messages, labeling the shirts as “hostile” and comparing the shirts to swastikas.
The lawsuit names California Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond and Attorney General Rob Bonta for enforcing AB 1266, along with Riverside Unified School District officials Principal Leann Iacuone and Assistant Principal Amanda Chann, who discriminated against K.S., T.S., and members of the Save Girls’ Sports Association.
Since filing the lawsuit, more than 200 students have worn the “Save Girls’ Sports” shirts on campus in solidarity with K.S. and T.S., sending a clear message to school administrators and State officials that discrimination against female athletes will not be tolerated.
Advocates attorney Julianne Fleischer stated, “The government is steamrolling over women’s rights with radical policies that dismantle fairness in sports and muzzle those who dare to defend it. This is not progress; it is regression. Female athletes train, sacrifice, and compete to win—not to be sidelined by an ideology that ignores biological reality.”
Attorney Robert Tyler added, “Title IX was created to protect female athletes from exactly this kind of injustice. The idea that biological males should take spots from young women is an outright betrayal of the law’s intent. We applaud President Trump for taking decisive action to restore fairness and demand that California abandon this destructive agenda before it erases a generation of female athletes.”
Plaintiffs seek a federal ruling that AB 1266 violates Title IX as well as a decision holding the District accountable for violating their First Amendment rights. They demand injunctive relief to stop schools from forcing biological girls to compete with and against males, a judgment affirming sex-based protections in athletics, and compensation for damages caused by these discriminatory policies.
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Advocates for Faith & Freedom is a non-profit law firm dedicated to protecting constitutional and religious liberty in the courts. Our mission is to engage in cases that will uphold our religious liberty and America’s heritage and to educate Americans about our fundamental constitutional rights.