As I’m sure you are aware, our public institutions have used a State of Emergency as a means to, yet again, capitalize on attacking our freedoms and constitutional liberties. This month, we took on the State of California in the latest attempt to censor any information contradicting the bureaucracy.
As you know, we are a non-profit law firm, fighting relentlessly to preserve our constitutional freedom and our right to exercise our faith to fulfill The Great Commission. As our 2021- 2022 fiscal year has drawn to a close, we can see how God is using all of you to bring Him glory through partnership with our cause.
Soon after the 2020 election, I was asked to meet with the Sacramento County Registrar of Voters. I received a tour of the county election facility where all the election machines and data are stored.
Election Machines: Courtesy of China I was surprised to see the hundreds of boxes of computers and tabulators with the stamp: “Dominion Voting” and “Made in China.” I asked the registrar: “Why in the world would we be using election machines made in China” and why are you using “Dominion Voting instead of one of its competitors?”
Her answer surprised me. She said the California Secretary of State told the counties that the state would only provide funding for upgrading electronic election systems if the county purchased the Dominion Voting system!
I cannot say that this necessarily proves anything in a court of law, but if true, it certainly raises grave concern in my mind over the integrity of our elections. At the time, President Trump had instituted significant trade sanctions against China, and I have no doubt that China and other countries would have loved to manipulate our elections.
As you can imagine, the last few years of unprecedented attacks on our liberty has created an unprecedented need for experienced litigators battling for our freedom.
This is why I asked an old friend and colleague, attorney Nate Kellum, to join our ministry. Nate is now our Chief Litigation Counsel - overseeing all our litigation. Our partnership with Nate has resulted in an expansion of our caseload across the country including religious liberty cases in Alabama, Colorado, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Texas.
Nate is an experienced attorney who has defended religious liberty in courtrooms across the country for over three decades, managing more than 500 litigated cases and 40 appeals before various federal appellate courts. He has won many landmark decisions along the way, including Johnson v. Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board, confirming the right to hand out Bibles in a public park during a public festival, Boardley v. Dept. of Interior, striking down restrictions on distribution of gospel tracts in national public parks, and Brown v. Polk County, upholding the right of a state employee to live out his Christian faith in the government workplace.
Pastor Dennis Hodges serves on a human rights commission in San Diego. There was a proposal regarding transgenderism and inclusivity which he abstained from voting on. Some other members of the commission forced him to explain why he abstained, to which he explained his Biblical views on gender. After he spoke up and called out transgenderism as sin, he immediately had a target on his back. The LGBTQ+ community aggressively pushed to have him removed from the committee. We were able to step in and represent Pastor Hodges. We attended committee meetings and advised the committee that it is illegal to punish Pastor Hodges for his religious views or speech. Thankfully, Pastor Hodges still has his seat on the committee. Although that battle is not over and Pastor Hodges continues to face the relentless woke mob, we are optimistic that the threat of legal action will keep the committee from removing Pastor Hodges.
As many of you know, we have been fighting Santa Clara County and its draconian orders on behalf of churches and religious adherents who have faced persecution for standing up for their rights.
First, it started with Pastor Mike McClure and Calvary Chapel San Jose. During the summer of 2020, when most businesses and churches caved to the pressure and closed, Pastor Mike kept his church open. His boldness was met with great opposition, as Santa Clara County started levying crippling fines against the church and even sought to hold Pastor Mike and the church in contempt twice.
Advocates is representing Prison Ministry of America (PMA), a non-profit Christian organization started in 1926 that provides prison inmates with Bibles, prayer, discipleship, and worship services.
Much to PMA’s dismay, it was recently sued by a Muslim religious leader who claims that PMA’s chaplain application, which had a Christian statement of faith, was discriminatory.
As we move into a new year, the challenges and threats to our liberties continue to loom large. Thankfully, we were mentally prepared for the chaos of 2020 and 2021 to transfer into the new year. And that is exactly what we are seeing.
On January 12, a church in the bay area was served by the state of California with a lawsuit because the church refused to force two-year-old children to wear face masks. Yes, you read that correctly.
