One of the privileges and most important obligations of the Office of the Attorney General is protecting the Constitutional rights of our citizens. Those rights are the underpinning of our Republic, and few rights are as prominent in our everyday lives as the First Amendment, covering freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of assembly, and other critical aspects of our self-expression. This week, our office led the fight in a very important First Amendment battle in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
In Loffman v. California Department of Education, a federal district court upheld a California law that provides public funds for education to parents that can be used for their children’s private education, but specifically precludes the funds from being used for faith-based schools. This discriminates against faith-based education and blatantly excludes them from the opportunity to meet the needs of students who cannot, for whatever reason, be served by public education.
I instructed my Solicitor General to draft a brief asking the Ninth Circuit to overturn the confusing and erroneous California federal district court decision. I’m grateful to have the support of 21 other Attorneys General across the country who also saw the clear Constitutional problems with the lower court’s decision and signed on in support of my efforts.
While our Constitution provides for a separation of Church and State and that our government shall not promote or mandate a specific faith, that doesn’t mean that our government can discriminate against religion. Loffman blatantly violates the First Amendment and flouts three recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions that have repeatedly held that government cannot condition generally available public funding on religious status.
The law is clear. Regardless of how a government defines it, generally available funding cannot be withheld solely based on religious affiliation. The Supreme Court has gone to great lengths to stamp out that type of religious discrimination. We will always defend the First Amendment rights of citizens.
The full brief can be read here.
One reply on “Labrador Letter: Defending Parents’ Free Exercise of Religion”
Under the First Amendment, one cannot defend Christians’ free exercise of religion without at the same time defending, for example, the Muslims free exercise of religion at the same time.
It’s high time that today’s alleged Christians recognize that religious Freedom and Christian Liberty are NOT the same thing. In fact, Christian Liberty (aka biblical dominion) was sacrificed on the altar Religious Freedom.
Furthermore, to promote or defend the First Amendment’s religious freedom is to be guilty of violating the First Commandment.
Without the parameters of the Bible’s moral law, the First Amendment has proven to be a toxic brew. For example, Amendment 1 condemns the prohibition of speech, whether spoken or written. Does the Bible provide for free speech or does it limit speech? What about freedom of speech and freedom of the press as it concerns Yahweh Himself? Does God grant us freedom to curse Him or blaspheme His name?
On the other hand, freedom of speech and freedom of the press is used to provide protection for those who promote false religions, in utero infanticide, sodomy, drug abuse, violence, obscenities, and other abominations condemned by Yahweh.
The provision in Amendment 1 for United States citizens to assemble peaceably appears innocuous. But is it harmless to give sodomites, infanticide advocates, and Satanists the right to assemble peaceably? If you are a proponent of the Constitution and a defender of Amendment 1, you must also champion the rights of such criminals and anti-Christians to assemble and promote their wicked agendas.
Homosexuals and infant assassins claim freedom of speech and the right to assemble to combat Christians who speak out or assemble against these heinous people and their brazen debauchery. By labeling what Christians do as hate crimes, these immoral people are able to employ Amendment 1 against Christians speaking and/or assembling against these atrocities.
According to the Bill of Rights, it is the alleged religious right of these sodomites, baby killers, and Satanists to use Amendment 1 against Christians.
For more, see Chapter 11 “Amendment 1: Government-Sanctioned Polytheism” of free online book “Bible Law vs. the United States Constitution: The Christian Perspective” at https://www.bibleversusconstitution.org/BlvcOnline/blvc-index.html