ADVOCATES FOR FAITH & FREEDOM
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Wednesday, JUNE 11, 2025
CONTACT: Nicole Velasco
NVELASCO@FAITH-FREEDOM.COM
Murrieta, CA— Today, Advocates for Faith & Freedom, alongside NC Values Institute, filed an amicus curiae brief in the Supreme Court of the United States in the case Chiles v. Salazar, urging the Court to reverse the Tenth Circuit's decision and affirm the First Amendment protections for religious counselors.
At the heart of the case is Kaley Chiles, a licensed counselor who offers faith-based counseling services rooted in Christian teachings. Colorado’s so-called “Censorship Law” violates the free speech and religious liberty rights of counselors like Chiles—and the clients they seek to help—by banning conversations that support a person’s desire to live according to their God-given biological sex and biblical convictions about sexuality. The law allows and even encourages counseling consistent with secular or progressive views on gender identity, but censors guidance rooted in religious convictions. This blatant double standard tramples free speech and religious freedom, and we are urging the Supreme Court to put a stop to it.
"The First Amendment does not allow the government to silence religious speech simply because it conflicts with current political trends," said Robert Tyler, President of Advocates for Faith & Freedom. "Colorado's law forces counselors to abandon their deeply held religious beliefs if they wish to continue serving clients, striking at the core of our constitutional guarantees of free speech and free exercise of religion."
The brief argues that Colorado’s law regulates pure speech, not conduct, and unlawfully discriminates based on content and viewpoint, violations long recognized as antithetical to the First Amendment. It also highlights that counseling is inherently value-driven and often religious in nature, making the state's imposition of a secular orthodoxy not only unconstitutional, but profoundly hostile to religious conscience.
"Our Constitution was designed to protect the free exchange of ideas, especially when those ideas are unpopular," added Julianne Fleischer, Counsel with Advocates for Faith & Freedom. "When the government demands conformity on matters of faith and morality, it crosses a dangerous line."
Advocates for Faith & Freedom remains committed to defending Americans' rights to live and work in accordance with their faith. The Supreme Court’s decision in this case could have far-reaching consequences for religious liberty, free speech, and the integrity of the counseling profession nationwide.
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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.