Freedom Updates
Advocates in Action
Press Release
Advocates for Faith & Freedom
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: friday, july 1, 2022
CONTACT: nicole velasco @
media@faith-freedom.COM
For Immediate Release 07/01/2022, Murrieta, California – Thursday evening, June 30, 2022, Federal Judge Beth Labson Freeman of the Northern District of California enjoined Santa Clara County’s vaccine policy – a first in California.
The county’s COVID-19 vaccine policy gave accommodations to employees with medical exemptions in the form of transfers and reassignments while placing employees who sought religious exemptions on unpaid leave.
Judge Freeman wrote:
The County admits that in assisting exempt employees in high-risk roles with transfers to available County positions in other risk tiers, the County gives “those with disability or medical contraindication vaccine exemptions . . . ‘preferential consideration’ pursuant to California State Disability Regulations and the Americans with Disabilities Act.” Marquez Decl. ¶ 41. The Court finds that this portion of the Accommodations framework likely “operate[s] in practice” in way that “target[s] religious practices” by placing those with religious exemptions at a disadvantage behind those with secular exemptions (medical and disability). Stormans, 794 F.3d at 1076 (quoting Lukumi, 508 U.S. at 535–37). Thus, Plaintiffs have shown that they are likely to succeed in proving that this portion of the Accommodations framework is not operationally neutral.
“Santa Clara County’s trend of acting discriminatory towards people of faith in relation to COVID-19 received another rebuke from a federal court,” says Robert Tyler, President of Advocates for Faith & Freedom. “Discrimination against Christians and other people of faith will not be tolerated.”
“We will not stop fighting for the courageous employees of Santa Clara County until they have been fully repaid their lost wages and benefits, which were stripped away because of their religious beliefs” says Mariah Gondeiro, an attorney for Advocates for Faith & Freedom.
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Press Release
ADVOCATES FOR FAITH & FREEDOM
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Friday, June 10, 2022
CONTACT: nicole velasco @
media@faith-freedom.COM
For Immediate Release 06/10/2022, Murrieta, California – Yesterday, the San Diego Human Relations Commission held a special meeting to remove Dennis Hodges for saying “discriminatory” and “hateful” comments towards the transgender community. Thirteen brave Commissioners refused to remove him, but the threat of removal still exists so long as the Commission can rely on a vague and overbroad Code of Conduct to silence dissenting beliefs.
Mr. Hodges has dedicated his life to public service and ministry. He believes all creation is made in the image of God, and that we are to love all individuals, regardless of gender, religion, sexual orientation, or ethnicity. Mr. Hodges is unabashed about his Christian beliefs, though, and has expressed that humans are to express their biological and creational differences as men and women.
The event that precipitated the removal of Mr. Hodges was on November 9, 2021, when the Commission discussed an agenda item regarding amplifying the voices of the San Diego transgender community. Mr. Hodges abstained from voting because of his sincerely held religious beliefs.
“The Commission’s effort to remove Mr. Hodges sets a dangerous precedent that one can be removed from their position for holding traditional, religious beliefs,” says Nate Kellum, Chief Litigation Counsel for Advocates for Faith and Freedom. “Mr. Hodges never discriminated against the transgender community. He simply refused to endorse an agenda that is antithetical to his Christian beliefs.”
Pastor Hodges has retained Advocates for Faith and Freedom. Advocates is exploring all legal options available to Mr. Hodges.
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Press Release
Advocates for Faith & Freedom
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Thursday, March 3, 2022
CONTACT: nicole velasco @
media@faith-freedom.COM
For Immediate Release 03/03/2022, Los Angeles, California – Today, Unify Santa Clara County (“UnifySCC”) filed an application for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction pending the disposition of their lawsuit filed against Santa Clara County, Sara H. Cody, and James Williams. The Plaintiffs request the Court immediately restore their jobs.
UnifySCC is an association that consists of members whose sincerely held religious beliefs prevent them from taking the COVID-19 vaccine or booster. Santa Clara County has relegated them to unpaid leave, depriving them of their livelihood, because they are “high” risk employees, as determined by the county’s arbitrary risk tier system. The Defendants did not engage in negotiations to determine if reasonable accommodations were available to the members of UnifySCC. However, Santa Clara County does provide reasonable accommodations to employees for medical reasons, as illustrated in emails UnifySCC relies on in its lawsuit.
“Santa Clara County’s vaccination policies are a blatant violation of the First Amendment,” says Mariah Gondeiro, an attorney for Advocates for Faith and Freedom. “The county has no compelling reason to treat similarly situated individuals differently based on religion.”
Furthermore, Santa Clara County’s vaccination policies are irrational, arbitrary, and counterproductive to community health. As stated by Dr. Jayanta Bhattacharya, the expert for UnifySCC, the county’s policies are irrational because “[t]he individuals placed in high risk are more likely to have contracted COVID-19 in the past and therefore have immune protection. It is counterproductive to public health to strip these employees of their employment when the public relies greatly on their services.”
In addition to immediate injunctive relief, UnifySCC is also seeking compensatory damages against Santa Clara County, including, at a minimum, lost wages.
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