January 2026 Newsletter

History is not shaped by accident. It is shaped by conviction, courage, and the quiet obedience of those who refuse to bow when truth is under assault. This month, we witnessed all three.

Our Senior Legal Counsel, Julianne Fleischer, was formally sworn into the Bar of the Supreme Court of the United States – an honor few attorneys ever attain, and one that signals readiness to stand before the highest court in the land. She was moved for admission by our President and Chief Counsel, Robert Tyler and our Vice President and Chief of Supreme Court and Appellate Litigation Erin Mersino, making the moment both professionally and spiritually significant for our entire team.

Providentially, that same day the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in two of the most consequential cases of our generation, cases that we supported through filing a brief to the Supreme Court. The cases ask one question: whether biological males may compete in girl’s sports. Advocates for Faith & Freedom’s brief argued for the Supreme Court to uphold biological reality and the laws in place to protect girls’ sports. As the culture attempts to erase reality, God is placing faithful advocates in the courtroom where truth is defended, not redefined.

This was more than ceremony. It was positioning. God is advancing His servants to contend for truth at the highest levels of our constitutional order. That same resolve is now on full display in one of the most important religious liberty cases in modern American history. A case filed in the U.S. Supreme Court by Advocates for Faith & Freedom!

When Government Tries to Fine the Church into Silence

At the request of Advocates for Faith & Freedom, the American Center for Law & Justice has joined in partnership to petition the United States Supreme Court to overturn more than $3 million in fines and attorneys’ fees imposed on Calvary Chapel San Jose and Pastor Mike McClure for the ‘crime’ of gathering to worship.

During COVID, California shutdown churches but allowed non-religious activities and gatherings to continue, treating a church‘s religious activities worse than secular ones. Calvary Chapel obeyed Scripture rather than political decree. The county responded with escalating fines of up to $5,000 per day, ultimately exceeding $1.2 million, followed by additional attorneys’ fees and costs. The message was clear: comply or be crushed.

The Supreme Court has already ruled that the government may not treat religious worship worse than comparable secular activity. California ignored that command. Now the Supreme Court must again decide whether the First Amendment still means what it says, or whether churches may be economically punished into submission whenever officials invoke “emergency” powers.

Twenty States Stand with the Church

Seven amicus briefs have now been filed supporting our case and urging the Supreme Court to rule in our favor. Most notably, the State of West Virginia, joined by nineteen other states, has stepped forward, warning that if these penalties stand, no church in America is safe from future coercion.

This is not about pandemic policy. It is about whether the government may dictate worship, impose crushing financial punishment for obedience to God, and weaponize crises to suspend constitutional rights—at a time when the faith and community of the church is needed the most.

And our fight to preserve faith and freedom extends beyond our country’s borders.

Persecution Abroad, Silence at Home Is Not an Option

Just days after meeting with Charlie Kirk and Pastor Rob McCoy, Pastor Hyun-bo Son was arrested in South Korea for preaching the Gospel. He has now spent months in prison as the South Korean government escalates its crackdown on Christian leaders. The very nation for which American soldiers gave their lives to defend freedom is now jailing pastors for biblical truth.

We are calling on President Donald J. Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio to demand Pastor Son’s immediate release and to confront this escalating assault on religious liberty. The petition is available at www.faith-freedom.com and can also be accessed by scanning this QR code:

Please add your name and share it with others.

Integrity in All We Do

Lastly, we are grateful to report that Advocates for Faith & Freedom has been awarded a Four-Star Rating from Charity Navigator, the highest designation a nonprofit can receive, along with a perfect 100 percent score for Accountability and Finance. This confirms what you already know: your support is being stewarded with discipline, transparency, and unwavering focus on the mission. The battle is serious. Our opponents are powerful. Your investment is being handled with integrity and purpose.

Truth is under pressure. The Church is under fire. Biological reality is under attack. Yet God continues to raise up men and women who will not retreat.

Thank you for standing with us. Thank you for your prayers. Thank you for your trust. Together, we will continue to contend for the faith, defend the Constitution, and proclaim that God’s truth does not bend to cultural fashion or political force.

In Him and for His Kingdom,

Nicole Velasco

Director of Communications

…We ought to obey God rather than men.

Acts 5:29

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