Freedom Updates
Advocates in Action
150 Victories for People of Faith, and More Are Coming
Dear Friend,
We are pleased to share an important update from the White House Faith Office, where Advocates for Faith & Freedom has participated in briefings focused on the policies, challenges, and opportunities affecting people of faith across our nation.
The White House Faith Office recently released a report highlighting 150 victories for people of faith, including major actions to protect religious liberty, defend conscience rights, support parental rights, confront antisemitism and anti-Christian bias, preserve women’s sports, restore biological truth, protect life, strengthen families, and ensure that faith-based organizations are treated fairly by the government.
These victories include:
- Establishing the White House Faith Office and Religious Liberty Commission
- Creating a federal task force to eradicate anti-Christian bias
- Strengthening protections for religious expression and workplace accommodations
- Defending parental rights and expanding school choice
- Protecting female athletes and recognizing biological reality
- Safeguarding conscience rights for healthcare professionals
- Combating antisemitism on college campuses
- Ending government policies that discriminated against faith-based organizations
- Protecting the sanctity of human life and strengthening families
The report reflects a significant shift in Washington. Religious liberty is no longer being treated as a narrow privilege to be tolerated only when faith remains private. It is being recognized as a foundational constitutional freedom that must be protected in schools, workplaces, churches, healthcare settings, and throughout public life.
Advocates for Faith & Freedom is grateful for the opportunity to engage with the White House Faith Office through these briefings and to help bring forward the real concerns facing believers, families, churches, schools, and ministries.
The Faith Office has also indicated that it will soon release an expanded report highlighting 250 victories for people of faith. We look forward to sharing that update with you as soon as it becomes available.
This progress is encouraging, but the work is not finished. Policies must be enforced, constitutional protections must reach the individuals whose rights are being threatened, and government agencies must be held accountable when they fail to respect religious freedom.
That is where Advocates for Faith & Freedom continues to serve.
Through litigation, legal advocacy, public education, and collaboration with leaders at every level of government, we remain committed to defending faith, protecting families, and preserving freedom.
Thank you for standing with us in this important work. Your prayers and partnership make it possible for us to continue carrying the concerns of people of faith into the courts, the halls of government, and the public square.
In Christ,
Erin Mersino
Vice President and Chief of Supreme Court
and Appellate Litigation
Advocates for Faith & Freedom Attorney Erin Mersino
ACLJ Attorney CeCe Heil
JEWISH STUDENTS WILL CONTINUE FEDERAL FIGHT AGAINST GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY OVER ALLEGED CAMPUS ANTISEMITISM
ADVOCATES FOR FAITH & FREEDOM
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: TUESDAY, AUGUST 4, 2026
CONTACT: NICOLE VELASCO AT
MEDIA@FAITH-FREEDOM.COM
Washington, D.C. — Advocates for Faith & Freedom will continue pursuing federal claims against George Washington University on behalf of former Jewish student Sabrina Soffer and CAPE-Ed.
The lawsuit alleges that GWU failed to adequately address a years-long pattern of antisemitism directed at Jewish students, which intensified following the October 7, 2023 Hamas terrorist attacks.
Advocates for Faith & Freedom entered the case after the original complaint had already been filed, replacing prior counsel for Soffer and CAPE-Ed.
In a July 31 memorandum order, the United States District Court for the District of Columbia dismissed the original complaint without prejudice due to the length. The Court did not dismiss the lawsuit on its merits. Instead, it granted the plaintiffs 30 days to file an amended complaint and continue the litigation.
Significantly, the Court acknowledged both the gravity of the allegations and the complaint’s account of conditions at GWU, stating that it “paints a dark picture” of the university’s treatment of Jewish students and its handling of campus antisemitism. The amended complaint is due August 31, 2026.
“This case is far from over,” said Joel Oster, Vice President and Chief of Trial Litigation for Advocates for Faith & Freedom. “The Court did not reject our clients’ allegations or absolve George Washington University of responsibility. In fact, the Court recognized that the complaint paints a dark picture of what Jewish students experienced on campus. We stepped into this case after the original complaint was filed, and we are now preparing a more concise amended complaint focused on the serious allegations of antisemitism and the university’s failure to protect Jewish students.”
The original complaint describes an alleged multi-year pattern of unaddressed antisemitism, including events surrounding the university’s Middle East studies programming and the campus encampment following October 7. Plaintiffs seek damages and injunctive relief intended to protect Jewish students and hold the university accountable under federal law.
Advocates for Faith & Freedom is preparing the amended complaint and remains committed to pursuing meaningful relief for the plaintiffs and the students they represent.
“Universities do not get a free pass when hostility toward Jewish students becomes embedded in campus life,” Oster added. “We intend to move this case forward and ensure that the substance of these allegations receives the serious judicial review it deserves.”
Can People of Faith Be Excluded from Public Service?
Dear Friend,
Can government officials exclude someone from public service because of sincerely held religious beliefs?
That question sits at the heart of Pastor Dennis Hodges’ First Amendment case.
Pastor Hodges, a former law enforcement chaplain and longtime minister, was removed from San Diego’s Human Relations Commission after standing by his biblical beliefs on human creation and transgenderism. His case raises serious concerns about whether people of faith can participate in public life without being pressured to abandon or conceal their convictions.
In this episode of Advocates for Truth, we discuss why this case matters, why it deserves the attention of the U.S. Supreme Court, and how conflicting rulings among federal courts can threaten the uniform protection of constitutional rights across the country.
The First Amendment does not only protect beliefs that are popular, convenient, or approved by government officials. It protects the right of Americans to live, speak, serve, and participate in public life according to conscience.
This case is about more than one pastor. It is about whether religious Americans can be pushed out of civic service simply because their beliefs do not align with the prevailing political agenda.
We invite you to watch the full conversation and learn more about what is at stake.
Thank you for staying informed and standing with us as we continue defending faith, freedom, and constitutional rights.
In Christ,
Robert Tyler
President and Chief Counsel
