Freedom Updates
Advocates in Action
A Critical Moment for Freedom
Dear Friend,
There are moments when the defense of religious liberty requires more than agreement. It requires action.
Advocates for Faith & Freedom is currently facing a critical fundraising need, and we are prayerfully asking a select group of generous-hearted supporters to consider making a leadership gift of $1,000, $5,000, or $10,000 to help us continue the work God has placed before us.
This is not a general appeal. This is a timely request tied to the very real legal battles unfolding right now.
Just today, Advocates for Faith & Freedom, in collaboration with the ACLJ, filed an amicus brief in the United States Supreme Court on behalf of Calvary Chapel San Jose and Pastor Mike McClure in St. Mary Catholic Parish v. Roy. This case asks the Supreme Court to protect religious families and faith-based institutions from being excluded from generally available public benefits simply because they refuse to compromise their beliefs.
At the heart of the case is a basic constitutional principle: the government should not punish families, churches, schools, or ministries for living according to their faith.
For Calvary Chapel San Jose and Pastor Mike McClure, this issue is not theoretical. They understand what happens when government officials single out people of faith for disfavored treatment. After standing firm during the COVID-19 pandemic, they faced more than $1.2 million in fines for holding worship services.
Now, they are standing with families and faith-based schools in another fight before the highest court in the land.
This is the kind of work Advocates for Faith & Freedom exists to do.
We defend churches. We stand with pastors. We protect parents. We advocate for families. We fight for the First Amendment freedoms that allow believers to worship freely, educate their children according to their convictions, and proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ without government hostility or coercion.
But we cannot do this alone.
Every Supreme Court brief, every lawsuit, every demand letter, every legal strategy, and every client we serve requires resources. As a nonprofit legal ministry, we depend on faithful donors who believe these freedoms are worth defending for this generation and the next.
Today, we are asking you to prayerfully consider making a special leadership gift of $1,000 to $10,000.
Your gift will help us continue taking on the cases that matter most — cases that defend religious liberty, free speech, parental rights, election integrity, the unborn, and the constitutional foundations that protect our ability to live out our faith in public.
We know not everyone can give at this level. But for those who can, this is a meaningful opportunity to strengthen the legal defense of religious freedom at a critical time.
If God has placed it on your heart to help carry this mission forward, we invite you to give today.
Thank you for standing with Advocates for Faith & Freedom. Your prayers, generosity, and courage help make this work possible!
For faith and freedom,
Robert Tyler
President and Chief Counsel
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SUPREME COURT DELIVERS LANDMARK VICTORY FOR FEMALE ATHLETES: UPHOLDS BIOLOGICAL REALITY IN WOMEN’S SPORTS AND FACILITIES
Washington, D.C – June 30, 2026 — In a major win for female students’ safety, fairness, and equal opportunity, the U.S. Supreme Court today ruled in favor of State protections for women’s sports and facilities in Little v. Hecox and B.P.J. v. West Virginia. The decisions affirm that laws safeguarding biological sex-based categories in athletics and facilities do not violate Title IX or the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.
The rulings reverse lower court decisions that had undermined sex-based distinctions, including the Fourth Circuit’s decision in B.P.J. by Jackson v. W. Virginia State Bd. of Educ., 98 F.4th 542 (4th Cir. 2024). Advocates for Faith & Freedom, representing a coalition of California public school districts and charter schools, played a key role by filing an amicus curiae brief urging the Court to protect female students.
The coalition includes John Adams Academies, Chino Valley Unified School District, Temecula Valley Unified School District, Murrieta Valley Unified School District, Perris Union High School District, Placer Union High School, Orange County Board of Education, and Kern County Board of Education. Our brief emphasized that redefining “sex” under Title IX to include gender identity ignores biological realities, endangers girls’ physical safety, psychological well-being, and destroys athletic opportunities.
“For nearly fifty years, Title IX has allowed female athletes to thrive in their own competitions and protected girls in their locker rooms and bathrooms,” said Erin Mersino, Vice President and Chief of Supreme Court and Appellate Litigation at Advocates for Faith & Freedom. “Title IX was a hard-won victory for women’s equality, built on recognizing sex-based differences — not erasing them. Today’s decision upholds the original meaning of Title IX and protects the rights of female students across the country.”
The Supreme Court’s decisions draw on history, science, and common sense. Biological males, on average, possess significant physical advantages in strength, speed, and endurance due to puberty-driven differences. Allowing males to compete in female categories or access sex-segregated facilities creates unfair competition and risks safety and privacy, and invokes of number of religious liberty concerns. Female students have reported trauma-like embarrassment, avoidance of facilities, and lost opportunities when sex-based protections are eroded.
Erin Mersino added: “Our clients have bravely stood up to ask the Supreme Court to preserve the promise of Title IX. This ruling is a victory for our daughters, granddaughters, and female athletes nationwide who deserve fair play and safe spaces.”
Advocates for Faith & Freedom has a number of cases in the federal courts in California which will continue to be litigated on this issue, as much more work will need to be done to protect girls’ sports nationwide. The fight continues, but with your support we will achieve victory. Advocates for Faith & Freedom celebrates this outcome as a defense of constitutional principles, women’s rights, and the rule of law. The organization remains committed to safeguarding religious liberty, parental rights, and equal protection for all.
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ADVOCATES FOR FAITH & FREEDOM FILES ELECTION INTEGRITY LAWSUIT SEEKING ANSWERS FROM CALIFORNIA SECRETARY OF STATE
ADVOCATES FOR FAITH & FREEDOM
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: MONDAY, JUNE 29, 2026
CONTACT: NICOLE VELASCO AT
MEDIA@FAITH-FREEDOM.COM
Murrieta, CA — After Election Integrity Project California’s thorough audit of November 2022 election data revealed an unexplained 43,625-vote discrepancy between California’s certified election results and data provided by the Secretary of State’s office, along with instances in which multiple votes appeared to be counted for individual voter registration numbers, Advocates for Faith & Freedom has filed a verified petition for writ of mandate on behalf of Ruth Weiss, a California voter and board member and volunteer with EIPCa. The lawsuit seeks to compel California Secretary of State Shirley Weber to answer basic questions regarding election procedures and voter data and to perform the legally mandated duties necessary to help ensure that every vote is lawfully cast and accurately counted. The petition does not ask the court to overturn any election result. It does not allege election malfeasance. Instead, it asks for something far simpler and more fundamental: transparency.
Under California’s Voter Bill of Rights, voters have the right to ask questions of election officials regarding election procedures and to receive an answer or be directed to the appropriate official who can provide one. After EIPCa reviewed election-related data obtained from the Secretary of State and compared it with the publicly available Statement of Vote, the organization identified significant discrepancies and sought clarification from the Secretary of State’s office.
Rather than assuming wrongdoing, Ms. Weiss and EIPCa asked questions. They sought to understand whether the differences could be explained by lawful, routine, or harmless election procedures. To date, those questions have not been answered.
“Election integrity begins with transparency,” said Advocates attorney Robert Tyler, counsel for the petitioner. “California voters should not be forced to sue their own Secretary of State just to receive answers to lawful questions about election procedures. When voters ask legitimate questions, government officials have a duty to respond.”
According to the petition, EIPCa compared the Secretary of State’s published Statement of Vote with accounting data received from the Secretary of State’s office. The petition states that EIPCa found, among other discrepancies, more total votes reflected in the accounting data than in the Statement of Vote and voter registration numbers with more than one vote attributed to them. Ms. Weiss then asked the Secretary of State to explain the procedures used to compile the data, reconcile the differences, and ensure that only one ballot per voter registration ID was cast and counted.
“These are not radical questions,” Tyler continued. “They are the kinds of questions every voter should want answered. Free and fair elections depend on public confidence, and public confidence depends on honest answers.”
The lawsuit seeks a peremptory writ of mandate requiring the Secretary of State to comply with California Elections Code section 2300 and respond to each question raised in Ms. Weiss’s March 5, 2026 letter.
For many Californians, election integrity is not a partisan slogan. It is the foundation of self-government. Citizens cannot hold their government accountable if public officials refuse to answer lawful questions about how elections are administered.
“Voters deserve confidence that election officials are following the law, maintaining accurate records, and responding to reasonable inquiries,” said Tyler. “This case is about ensuring that the government remains accountable to the people it serves.”
Advocates for Faith & Freedom is proud to stand with citizens who seek transparency, accountability, and integrity in the election process.
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