ARIZONA: Alliance Defending Freedom Pens Op-Ed Defending Hate Bill

The Arizona Republic has published an op-ed from Alliance Defending Freedom, the co-authors of  the bill that would legalize anti-gay discrimination. It begins:

Opponents of the proposed amendment to Arizona’s Religious Freedom Restoration Act are putting the people of Arizona in a high-risk disaster zone when it comes to their First Amendment freedoms. In America, we live by the basic principle that you don’t forfeit your religious freedom just because you step outside the four walls of your home. Congress passed the federal RFRA, the legislation after which the Arizona RFRA is modeled, for that very purpose. But the federal RFRA only applies to the federal government, and thus, a number of states, including Arizona, enacted their own versions to ensure this religious protection for their citizens.

Arizona’s RFRA, as it currently stands, does not contain the necessary specificity regarding who can use RFRA for protection if the government discriminates against them because of their religious faith. Contrary to the voices that oppose protecting religious freedom for all Arizonans, Senate Bill 1062 and House Bill 2153, which were approved last week, will not allow people to do “whatever they want” in the name of religion. The use of the amended RFRA will only come into play when the government’s law inhibits someone from freely acting in accordance with his or her faith, as has always been the case. And even then, sincerely held religious beliefs will continue to be balanced against state interests. So, Arizona will always be able to make certain things — like murder — crimes even if someone says that his religious beliefs require him to kill someone.

Hate Group Defends Arizona Bill: People Are Lying About This Legislation

Alliance Defending Freedom is one of the co-authors of Arizona's hate bill. CNN reports:

Today on New Day, CNN's Chris Cuomo spoke with Kellie Fiedorek, a lawyer for the Alliance Defending Freedom which helped draft Arizona’s controversial bill that would allow business owners, as long as they assert their religious beliefs, to deny service to gay and lesbian customers. In the interview, Fiedorek defends the bill, telling Cuomo “there’s been a lot of lies and misinformation spread about the bill.” She said the law was protection from “forcing someone to use their creative ability to create a message to support an event, to support an idea that goes against their beliefs.” She went on to say “for example, we would not force a Muslim to participate in a Koran-burning ceremony. We wouldn't ask a black photographer and force them to go take a picture of KKK event. This is America and America we should be able to live freely and not be forced to endorse ideas.”

Cuomo does a great job with this asshat, who has testified before state legislatures against LGBT rights.

AZ Hate Group Authors Of Anti-Gay Bill Demands Signature From Gov. Jan Brewer

"As we witness hostility towards people of faith grow like never before, we must take this opportunity to speak up for religious liberty. The great news is that SB 1062 protects your right to live and work according to your faith and was passed by the Arizona legislature. This bill is now heading to Governor Jan Brewer's desk. One thing became undeniably clear as SB 1062 advanced through the legislature: opponents were not interested in an honest debate about the bill's actual provisions. Instead, they distorted and attacked the bill and its supporters at every turn. Even before the last vote was cast in the House, opponents of SB 1062 started a mass calling and email campaign into Governor Brewer's office to try to pressure her into vetoing this important bill. It is critical that the Governor hears from YOU that no one should be forced to violate their religious beliefs merely because they go to work or start a business!" - From the Center For Arizona Policy, the hate group that co-authored the bill that legalizes anti-LGBT discrimination. The bill's other author? Alliance Defending Freedom. Of course.

ITALY: American Hate Group Allowed To Defend Against Marriage Equality Lawsuit

According to a press release from Alliance Defending Freedom, the US-based hate group has been granted permission to intervene as a third party in defense of Italy's ban on same-sex marriage.

“The people of Italy recognize that men and women bring distinct, irreplaceable gifts to family life, especially for children who deserve both a mom and a dad,” said Senior Legal Counsel Roger Kiska. “Under the European Convention of Human Rights, the Strasbourg court is obliged to allow Italy to define marriage in a manner consistent with this truth. This lawsuit is asking the court to step outside of its bounds and impose a redefinition of marriage upon a Council of Europe member state that has exclusive authority over marriage within its own borders. The court should reject this request.”

The case, Orlandi v. Italy, began after the Italian government denied a marriage license to two members of the same sex who applied for one. The case made its way through Italy’s courts, which all upheld the country’s marriage laws. The same-sex couple then filed a lawsuit with the European Court of Human Rights. The Alliance Defending Freedom brief examines previous European Court of Human Rights positions on the matter, the treatment of marriage in the domestic laws of other nations, the sociological theory behind the definition of marriage and family, and the harms that could come as a result of redefining marriage under the European Convention on Human Rights.

ADF regularly files amicus briefs and testifies against American LGBT rights. Last week a representative from ADF testified before the Indiana Senate.

ARIZONA: House Committee Advances Bill To Legalize Anti-Gay Discrimination

Two weeks ago Arizona GOP state Rep. Steve Yarborough introduced a bill that would legalize discrimination against LGBT people on the grounds of religious beliefs. Today that bill was approved by an Arizona House committee.

Critics told the committee that the bill's primary purpose is to allow discrimination against gays. "It most decisively takes away reasonable protections people have from the imposition of the religious beliefs of other upon them,'' Erica Keppler, a transgendered woman, said in an interview. Republican Rep. Eddie Farnsworth called the concerns false, saying the changes were needed to protect Arizonans from judges across the country who have allowed lawsuits against people who say their religious beliefs led them to refuse service to someone. He pointed to a New Mexico case where a gay couple was allowed to sue a photographer who refused to document their wedding. "Trust me. It's coming. This isn't one isolated case,'' Farnsworth said. Josh Kredit, legal counsel for the Center for Arizona Policy, said the proposal is simply an effort to clarify protections already in state law, and it is not discriminatory. That is fear-mongering and a distraction from what this bill is really intended to be, and that it's about religious liberty, ensuring that in America, people are free to live and work according to their faith,'' he said.

The bill is being supported by Alliance Defending Freedom and the Arizona Catholic Conference. (Tipped by JMG reader Wayne)

VIRGINIA: Judge Promises To Rule "Soon" In AFER's Marriage Equality Lawsuit

The judge hearing opening arguments in AFER's marriage equality lawsuit against Virginia ended today's proceedings by promising to make her ruling "soon."

Virginia Solicitor General Stuart A. Raphael compared the state constitutional amendment banning such unions to the commonwealth’s previous defense of segregation, a ban on interracial marriage and resistance to admitting women to VMI — all decisions overturned by the Supreme Court. “We are not going to make the mistakes our predecessors made,” Raphael told U.S. District Judge Arenda L. Wright Allen. Wright Allen did not ask a question of any of the five lawyers who addressed her during the nearly two hours of arguments but said she will rule quickly on an issue that all agreed will ultimately be settled by the Supreme Court. “You’ll be hearing from me soon,” she said, emphasizing the last word.

The case is being defended on behalf of two Virgina county clerks by the virulently anti-gay Alliance Defending Freedom, who presumably did not mention their former co-worker who is now serving 40 years in prison for making child pornography with her daughter.

RELATED: Judge Allen, a former member of the Navy JAG Corps, was nominated to the federal bench by President Obama in 2010. Allen was unanimously confirmed by the Senate in 2011 after an endorsement floor speech by former Sen. Jim Webb (D-VA), who served as Secretary of the Navy under Ronald Reagan. 

OKLAHOMA: Alliance Defending Freedom Files Appeal Of Gay Marriage Ruling

Days after one of their lawyers testified in support of Indiana's proposed constitutional ban on gay marriage, the hate group Alliance Defending Freedom has filed an appeal of this week's ruling in Oklahoma. The appeal was filed on behalf of the Tusla County Clerk's Office.

Tulsa County Court Clerk Sally Howe Smith [PHOTO] filed the appeal Thursday with the U.S. 10th Circuit Court of Appeals. Toby Jenkins, executive director of Oklahomans for Equality, said Thursday. "We at Oklahomans for Equality are disappointed that tax payer dollars will continue to be used to fund something that is unconstitutional and has already been decided in multiple courts." Alliance Defending Freedom senior counsel Byron Babione, representing Smith, issued a statement Tuesday stating in part that "Marriage expresses the truth that men and women bring distinct, irreplaceable gifts to family life. Understanding that truth, the voters of Oklahoma approved a constitutional amendment to define marriage as the union of a man and a woman." The Alliance Defending Freedom defines itself as "an alliance-building, non-profit legal organization that advocates for the right of people to freely live out their faith."

Alliance Defending Freedom made international headlines last year when one of their attorneys was sentenced to 40 years in prison for producing child pornography featuring her daughter. (Tipped by JMG reader Matthew)

At Indiana's Marriage Ban Hearing

Yesterday the Indiana House Judiciary Committee held its hearing on the proposed constitutional ban on same-sex marriage. At one point the committee chair had to admonish the gallery for laughing at the claims of an anti-gay nutjob.

Jim Bopp, an anti-LGBT attorney who was forced out as Indiana's representative to the Republican National Committee in 2012, told the committee that he was perplexed as to why opponents would be against a constitutional ban if same sex marriage was already illegal in Indiana. "It can only be because [the existing ban is] vulnerable," he insisted. "They want the option of getting what they actually want, which is to change the definition marriage. And the very vulnerability of a statute as opposed to a constitutional amendment affords them a greater opportunity to get that job done." "Even more troubling though was an argument made by one who said that the simple debate on the marriage amendment will do the damage," Bopp added. "Well, what does that tell you? That there are some people that are so intolerant of other people's views that a simple debate..." With that, the chairman was forced to call the committee to order as the gallery burst into laughter.

First up in the clip is a lawyer from Alliance Defending Freedom, who curiously did not mention her former co-worker, who is currently serving 40 years in prison for making child pornography with her daughter.

US Hate Group Cheers Indian Ruling

"When given the same choice the Supreme Court of the United States had in Lawrence vs. Texas, the Indian Court did the right thing. India chose to protect society at large rather than give in to a vocal minority of homosexual advocates. The Texas case laid the groundwork for the invalidation of traditional marriage by a number of courts subsequent to that. The Indian Supreme Court saw what had happened there and was wise enough not to want to go down that road. America needs to take note that a country of 1.2 billion people has rejected the road towards same-sex marriage, and understood that these kinds of bad decisions in the long run will harm society." - Benjamin Bull, executive director of Alliance Defending Freedom, speaking to the American Family Association's OneNewsNow.

RELATED: Early this year an attorney for Alliance Defending Freedom was convicted on eight felony counts of making child pornography with her daughter. She was sentenced to 40 years in prison.

Christian Hate Group Has Bakery Sadz

"America was founded on the fundamental freedom of every citizen to live and work according to their beliefs. Forcing Americans to promote ideas against their will undermines our constitutionally protected freedom of expression and our right to live free. If the government can take away our First Amendment freedoms, there is nothing it can’t take away. We are considering our next steps." - Nicolle Martin, volunteer attorney for the Alliance Defending Freedom, who fucking lost her case today on behalf of an anti-gay Colorado bakery. Earlier this year Martin testified against civil unions before the Colorado legislature, a battle which she also fucking lost.

RELATED: For her day job, Martin works for an ambulance-chasing outfit called Auto Injury Solutions.

ALSO FUCKING RELATED:  Early this year ADF volunteer attorney Lisa Biron was sentenced to 40 years in prison on eight felony counts of producing child pornography. With her daughter.

Christian Hate Group Recaps 2013

The Alliance Defending Freedom (formerly the Alliance Defense Fund) has recapped all their 2013 work in the name of Jesus with a five-minute YouTube clip. Jeremy Hooper writes at Good As You:

I love how they act like the historic Supreme Court rulings on marriage just kind of happened. In truth, the ADF was at the forefront of these battles, hoping to prove in court that their arguments against marriage equality are both right and effective. They lost. In fact, the court process showed how lacking in effective argument they truly are. Anti-LGBT donors can keep handing over cash and expecting different results, if that is what these faith-motivated folks choose to do with their charitable cash. Or they could, you know—help to instead feed or clothe a person in need.

NEW MEXICO: Hate Group Petitions SCOTUS On Behalf Of Photographer

The anti-gay Alliance Defending Freedom today petitioned the US Supreme Court to hear the appeal of New Mexico's Elane Photography, the most-cited case in the boogeyman war against same-sex marriage despite the fact that New Mexico does not presently have legalized same-sex marriage. Via SCOTUSblog:

On the premise that taking photos is a form of story-telling — recall the old idea about how many words a picture is worth — an Albuquerque studio on Friday asked the Supreme Court to protect its owners from having to send the message that the uniting of same-sex couples in marriage-like ceremonies is acceptable. The new case of Elane Photography v. Willock does not ask the Court to rule on any right of gays and lesbians to marry, but it does seek a decision on how far a state may go to protect same-sex couples from discrimination in the marketplace. The New Mexico Supreme Court ruled in August that the studio violated a state anti-discrimination law by turning away a request to take photos of a same-sex commitment ceremony. As more legislatures — including Congress — pass or at least consider bills to outlaw discrimination against homosexuals, the spread of marriage or civil unions among gays and lesbians is now raising more issues about how those laws apply to such relationships. The Elane Photography case could help provide an answer.

Read today's filing in full.

SCOTUS To Hear Public Prayer Case

In 2008, Americans United for Separation of Church and State first sued the town of Greece, New York on behalf of two residents who claimed that allowing public prayer at city meetings was a violation of the Establishment Clause. Last year the Second Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against the town. Tomorrow the Supreme Court will hear an appeal brought by the anti-gay Alliance Defending Freedom.

Some legal experts say while the high court has allowed public prayers in general, it has not set boundaries on when they might become too sectarian in nature. "The case involves a test between two different kinds of legal rules," said Thomas Goldstein, SCOTUSblog.com publisher and a leading Washington attorney. "The Supreme Court has broadly approved legislative prayer without asking too many questions. But in other cases where the government is involved with religion, it has looked at lots of different circumstances. So we just don't know whether this court will be completely approving of legislative prayers in this instance." The justices are now being asked to offer more firm guidelines over when and if such public prayers are constitutionally acceptable.

More about the ADF:

The Alliance Defending Freedom, a "legal ministry" based in Scottsdale, Arizona, filed the lawsuit on behalf of the Greece Town Board, saying the Supreme Court has upheld the practice of government bodies "to acknowledge America's religious heritage and invoke divine guidance and blessings upon their work." "A few people should not be able to extinguish the traditions of our nation merely because they heard something they didn't like," said Brett Harvey, an attorney for the group. "Because the authors of the Constitution invoked God's blessing on public proceedings, this tradition shouldn't suddenly be deemed unconstitutional."

RELATED: The ADF is also behind many lawsuits that seek to thwart the civil rights of LGBT Americans

Freep This Wisconsin Poll

The haters are trying to repeal Wisconsin's domestic partners registry because it's "too close to marriage." The state Supreme Court heard opening arguments in the case yesterday.

Attorney Austin Nimocks, representing a group of citizens that challenged the law, told the justices the domestic partner registry follows the blueprint of marriage. Nimocks said the registry has restrictions on how old someone must be to enter into a domestic partner relationship and how closely related they are, while also prohibiting them from entering into another domestic partner relationship or a marriage. "This case is not about benefits," Nimocks said. "This case is rather about chapter 770 mimicking marriage's blueprint in the Wisconsin code, a blueprint which does not rise or fall on the extension of any particular benefit." During Wednesday's oral arguments, Justice Michael Gableman pressed both attorneys on the language supporters of the anti-gay marriage amendment used during the legislative debate and the run up to the 2006 referendum.

Nimocks works for the pedophile-friendly anti-gay group, the Alliance Defense Fund. Go freep today's poll in the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. Try the main page on the lower right. (Tipped by JMG reader Jim)

Optimism For New Mexico Marriage

Via the Sante Fe New Mexican:

“I think the die was cast before we came in here,” State Sen. Bill Sharer, R-Farmington, told a reporter during a break at the hearing. Sharer is part of a group of current and former Republican lawmakers who have filed lawsuits trying to stop county clerks around the state from issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples. But, he added, “whatever happens here [in the Supreme Court] won’t be the last word. It’s not over until the people have spoken.”

Santa Fe couple Rose Griego and Kim Kiel — who are plaintiffs in the case before the high court Wednesday — both expressed optimism after the hearing. “I’m super excited,” Griego said. “It’s historic, and I’m so happy that this is going to help a lot of people.” Kiel agreed. “I feel really good that the outcome will be positive.” Griego and Kiel got married in Santa Fe in August after a judge ordered County Clerk Geraldine Salazar to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

During the hearing, Supreme Court justices questioned lawyers on both sides on points of law. Arizona attorney James Campbell, who represented the GOP legislators, seemed to get peppered with the most questions. At one point, Justice Richard Bosson asked Campbell point blank, “Why shouldn’t you be able to marry who you choose?” Campbell argued that the government has a compelling interest in marriage because it encourages “procreative relationships.” Bosson countered that in state marriage laws, “there’s not word one about encouraging procreation.”

RELATED: Campbell works for the anti-gay Alliance Defending Freedom. Earlier this year another ADF attorney was found guilty on eight felony counts of producing child pornography. Starring her daughter.  She was sentenced to 40 years in prison.

NEW MEXICO: GOP Lawmakers Join Hate Group In Brief Against Gay Marriage

With the support of the anti-gay hate group Alliance Defending Freedom, two dozen current and former GOP members of the New Mexico legislature have filed a brief against the same-sex marriage case pending before the state Supreme Court.

The Republican lawmakers, represented by a conservative Christian law group called the Alliance Defending Freedom, said anti-discrimination and equal protection guarantees in the state constitution do not provide a legal right to marriage for same-sex couples. The lawmakers said that "the judiciary should exercise caution when asked to divine fundamental and important constitutional rights not expressly provided in the Constitution's text." The gay marriage issue has moved to the political front burner in New Mexico since August when Dona Ana County Clerk Lynn Ellins decided independently to allow marriage licenses for same-sex couples. At least seven other county clerks have followed, some because of rulings in lawsuits brought by same-sex couples.

The ACLU filed a supportive brief on Monday. The case will be heard late next month.

NEW MEXICO: Anti- Gay Wedding Photographer Petitions US Supreme Court

The New Mexico state Supreme Court ruled against them in August, but the wedding photographer whose case has inflamed the wingnuts for years is heading to the US Supreme Court with the backing of Alliance Defending Freedom. SCOTUSblog reports:

An Albuquerque couple who operate their commercial photography business on Christian religious principles will ask the Supreme Court to give them constitutional protection for their views favoring traditional marriage, their lawyers said on Wednesday. The case, if accepted by the Court, would give the Justices a chance to sort out how gay rights laws passed by states are enforced against those who hold the view that marriage is only for a man and a woman. Although the case does not involve state authority to allow or deny same-sex marriage, it could be the first new case related to that issue to reach the Court since its first foray into that constitutional controversy last Term. The case, from the New Mexico Supreme Court, is Elane Photography v. Willock.

Their planned petition to the Supreme Court will seek to convince the Justices that their photographic work is a form of artistic expression that conveys messages, and it will argue that enforcing the New Mexico “public accommodation” law in ways contrary to their views compels them to express messages they do not embrace and interferes with the free exercise of their religious beliefs.  The state law at issue in the case bars discrimination against sexual orientation in providing access to businesses that are open to the public in general.

MSNBC has more:

“We have to guard the right to not be compelled to speak for everyone, especially those who have disfavored points of view, or else the government can compel people to advance messages they don’t agree with,” said Jordan Lorence, an attorney with the Alliance Defending Freedom, the conservative law firm representing Elane Photography. “They also couldn’t force a gay photographer to photograph a wedding at Westboro Baptist.” Could they also refuse to photograph an interracial marriage for religious reasons? “I think that they could,” he added, “because the government cannot force people to communicate messages they don’t agree with.”

Today's Money Beg From The ADF

The Alliance Defending Freedom, which works nationwide to thwart freedom, has issued a money beg declaring that "foreign warheads" are aimed at the religious liberties of Christians.  Examples of these non-domestic nukes somehow include the Supreme Court rulings that legalized sodomy and outlawed the death penalty for minors. Because gays belong in prison and teenage killers deserve lethal injections, apparently.

Your gift today can provide the ammunition to fight and win. We must win these crucial battles. Eternity is at stake for countless people. That’s why Alliance Defending Freedom is working so hard to mobilize attorneys abroad. We must disarm all the potential foreign law "warheads" that could be launched to destroy religious freedom in America. These "warheads" are armed and dangerous. We can’t let them reach our homeland. Please pray for victory. And please give as generously as you can now to win battles abroad . . . and defend your religious freedom at home!

(Via Good As You)

RELATED: In January, Lisa Biron, an attorney for the ADF, was found guilty on eight counts of producing child pornography. The star of her films? Her daughter.  Biron was sentenced in May to 40 years in prison.

ADF Has The New Mexico Sadz

"Government-coerced expression is a feature of dictatorships that has no place in a free country. This decision is a blow to our client and to every American’s right to live free. Decisions like this undermine the constitutionally protected freedoms of expression and conscience that we have all taken for granted. America was founded on the fundamental freedom of every citizen to live and work according to their beliefs and not to be compelled by the government to express ideas and messages they decline to support. We are considering our next steps, including asking the U.S. Supreme Court to right this wrong." - Jordan Lorence, head counsel for the anti-gay Alliance Defending Freedom, which today lost its gay wedding photography case in New Mexico.

Hate Group Marriage Map

The grey states: "States or territories vulnerable to a redefinition of marriage." Embiggen or go here to read the other descriptions.