Dear Friend,
Although federal district courts have been swift to put the brakes on some of the Trump Administration’s recent executive actions, these cases have yet to make their way to appellate courts and, eventually, to the Supreme Court, which has demonstrated its receptiveness to religious appeals and re-interpretative arguments.
We must be ready to forcefully defend our constitutional rights, including and perhaps especially the long-established understanding of the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause as a foundational guardrail against the integration of religion and government.
Ready, we are. Already this year, American Atheists filed a brief in Roake v. Brumley, the Fifth Circuit case challenging a Louisiana law that mandates the display of the Ten Commandments in each and every classroom in the state. This Legal Team isn’t stopping there. Over the next two months, we will be writing or joining amicus curiae briefs in at least the following five cases currently pending at the U.S. Supreme Court.
We’re keeping a very close eye on Oklahoma Statewide Charter School Board v. Drummond, which the U.S. Supreme Court announced late last week it will hear. Last year, Oklahoma’s Supreme Court found the attempted establishment of the nation’s first publicly funded religious charter school to be unconstitutional. Should the Supreme Court overturn the Oklahoma high court’s decision, the ruling would open a nationwide floodgate of taxpayer dollars to directly fund religious schools.
Catholic Charities Bureau v. Wisconsin Labor Commission will determine whether charities doing secular work, but with religious motivations, must be exempted from paying into Wisconsin’s unemployment insurance system. Depending on the outcome, the Court’s decision could not only impact unemployed individuals and secular businesses and charities throughout Wisconsin, but also create a harmful financial incentive for new and existing charities to incorporate religion into their programs.
In Mahmoud v. Taylor, religious parents are demanding the right to exempt their children from basic instruction about even the existence of LGBTQ+ people. This case threatens to create yet another special exemption afforded to Christian parents yet denied to everyone else. For example, Florida, Oklahoma, Texas, and other states are increasingly imposing religious, political, and ideological indoctrination on students under the guise of “patriotism” or “Americanism” with no option for nonconforming families to opt out.
Of course, reproductive health care is in the Supreme Court’s crosshairs yet again this year. Medina v. Planned Parenthood South Atlantic will determine whether states can exclude Planned Parenthood, or any other health care provider, from their Medicaid programs. If allowed, a state could undermine individuals’ right to choose their own medical provider and instead force them to select a provider that aligns with the state’s preferred ideology.
Finally, in Braidwood Management v. Becerra, a group of conservative Christian businesses are seeking to impose their particular moral code on people by making it more difficult for Americans to access contraceptives, sexually transmitted disease screenings, substance use treatment, and medication that prevents the transmission of HIV. Citing religious objections, the plaintiffs allege these medical interventions “encourage homosexual behavior, intravenous drug use, and sexual activity outside of marriage between one man and one woman.”
The Supreme Court’s docket for 2025 is a Christian Nationalist’s dream, an all-out attack on religious pluralism and our First Amendment rights. It can be tempting to be distracted by the bread and circuses tactics of the new administration, but I assure you American Atheists’ Legal Team is focused on what’s important.
So I ask you today to support this work as generously as you can. If that means $5 per month, know that every one of those dollars sustains our efforts. If you’re able to offer more, or even much more, you can help ensure we have the capacity to preserve the most crucial rights in our democracy.
Sincerely,
Geoffrey T. Blackwell
Legal Director
American Atheists is a 501(c)(3) non-partisan, nonprofit educational organization that relies on the support of members like you. Contributions are tax-deductible. Our Federal Tax ID Number is 74-2466507 and our Combined Federal Campaign number is 52217.
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