Impact of Alliance Defending Freedom
Alliance Defending Freedom has been at the forefront of the fight for the right to religious freedom and the free expression of faith. The organization’s work straddles law and advocacy; they are active at local, national, and global levels. With allied attorneys worldwide, ADF, or Alliance Defending Freedom, is a Christian legal alliance providing pro bono defense and legal advocacy for people whose religious liberty is violated. It does so by taking on cases in court to represent those in undue hardship for their religion.
The History of Alliance Defending Freedom
Alliance Defending Freedom is an alliance-building, non-profit legal organization that advocates for people’s right to live out their faith freely. To accomplish this, Alliance Defending Freedom provides training and support to thousands of attorneys across the globe who are working on behalf of persecuted Christians, other religious minorities, and others who face physical or financial harm because of their beliefs.
Empowering Voices
ADF provides free legal representation and training for people worldwide every day. Attorneys at ADF have won seven cases at the U.S Supreme Court in the past seven years, including Hosanna-Tabor v. EEOC, which held that government has no right to interfere with churches’ selection of qualified leaders or punish churches for exercising religious freedom.
Legislative Advocacy
The Legislative Advocacy department focuses on passing legislation and amending existing laws at work in countries where religious freedom is threatened. In the United States, ADF staff lobbies for or against proposed legislation testifies before congressional committees and submits legal “amicus curiae” briefs when appropriate.
ADF also provides training and support for local attorneys who have been successful at the state level with their cases. State-level success includes religious exemption laws, such as those that allow pharmacists to refuse to fill contraceptives.
ADF has been vocal about its opposition to civil unions and traditional marriage since its creation in 1994. ADF continues to advocate for traditional marriage and the sanctity of human life. For instance, ADF has been a vocal critic of the Supreme Court ruling on DOMA, stating that it is “a very troubling step in a long line of blows that have increasingly blurred the line between religious liberties and other liberties.” See this article for additional information.
More about ADF on https://adflegal.org/