ACLJ Update

From The ACLJ:

A Supreme Court Win for Common Sense - and the Cross


After a long-fought battle in the case of Salazar, Secretary of the Interior, et al., v. Buono (08-472), the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that a World War I memorial in California's Mojave Desert - featuring a cross - can remain in place. The ACLJ represented 15 Members of Congress in its amicus brief in the case.



But the Saga Continues...

With the Mojave Desert cross stolen by vandals, the ACLJ has sent a letter to the Department of Justice urging that a replica cross - fashioned after the original - be displayed on the same site. ''Not replacing the cross,'' the letter says, ''will essentially reward those who stole the cross'' and ''dishonors the memory of the veterans it was created to honor.''



Pro-life Victory Against Planned Parenthood!

The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit has ruled in favor of the ACLJ's client in a massive fraud case against Planned Parenthood affiliates.



The allegation in this case relates to tens of millions of dollars of overbilling - at taxpayers' expense. The question on appeal was whether the former Planned Parenthood employee is a proper whistleblower under the False Claims Act. We contended that the answer was ''Yes,'' and now a three-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit has unanimously agreed with us. This victory is only the beginning of this case - we expect it to continue - possibly to the Supreme Court.



Pledge & Motto ... Upheld in Federal Court!

The ACLJ represented nearly 50 Members of Congress and filed an amicus brief with a federal appeals court defending the use of the National Motto, ''In God We Trust,'' on currency. The court has now upheld the constitutionality of the National Motto and, in a separate decision, the words ''under God'' in the Pledge of Allegiance.



A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled that the phrase on currency is ceremonial and patriotic, not religious. The appeals court also determined that there is no constitutional violation with the voluntary recitation of the Pledge in a California school district where it was challenged.



We also successfully represented 51 Members of Congress and some 80,000 Americans in filing an amicus brief with a federal court that dismissed a New Hampshire lawsuit challenging the Pledge. And we are representing 50 Members of Congress in a national case in which displays of the National Motto and Pledge are being challenged in the Capitol Visitor Center in Washington, D.C.



Rosary OK'd for the School Year

A federal district court in New York agreed to let a 13-year-old student, who was suspended indefinitely for wearing a rosary to school, remain in class and finish out the school year wearing his rosary. We had filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of the student and his mother, requesting a jury trial and asserting that the school's actions violated his constitutional rights of speech and expression, free exercise of religion, and due process under the First and Fourteenth Amendments.



Victory on the Way to Asylum

Our European counterpart, the European Centre for Law and Justice (ECLJ), has made critical headway in the United Kingdom in efforts to secure asylum for a Burmese pastor facing persecution and imprisonment if returned to Burma, where Christians have faced increasing harassment. The ECLJ won an appeal on behalf of the pastor in the Immigration and Asylum Chamber.



The Battle over Zimbabwe's Constitution

Our African office is working alongside Christians in Zimbabwe who are participating in the constitution-making process in Zimbabwe and making headway. On the day of the official launch of the ''Constitutional Outreach Program,'' a team from the ACLJ, led by Jordan Sekulow, arrived in the capital city of Harare. They had very constructive meetings with government officials, key business and church leaders, and members of all three political parties, working to evaluate and consolidate humanitarian efforts in vulnerable sections of society. Keep praying for Zimbabwe!



After the Torture, After the Killing...

In Pakistan, the ECLJ is representing the brother of a Christian businessman who was tortured and beaten to death with iron bars because he refused to convert to Islam. Local police were unhelpful, initially refusing to authorize an autopsy. It took a protest by Christians and Muslims alike - which blocked a national highway - before the government authorized release of the victim's body. ECLJ attorneys will argue the case in court.