We at the Freedom From Religion Foundation have been spinning a lot of plates recently — and media outlets nationally and globally have been paying attention.
When the U.S. Supreme Court yesterday issued a favorable ruling that blocked a proposed religious charter school in Oklahoma, our response was featured all over.
“Annie Laurie Gaylor, co-president of the Freedom From Religion Foundation, said the decision is a ‘crucial, if narrow, win for constitutional principles,’ stated a USA Today article. “‘A publicly funded religious charter school would have obliterated the wall of separation between state and church,’ Gaylor said in a statement. ‘We’re relieved that, at least for now, the First Amendment still means what it says.’”
The Guardian, one of the world’s leading English-language dailies, also took note.
“The Freedom from Religion Foundation, a nonprofit that works to keep the separation of church and state, said it was ‘glad’ about the decision but said in an X post that ‘the fight isn’t over,’” a piece in the venerable publication quoted us. “‘The forces trying to undermine our public schools and constitutional freedoms are already regrouping,’ the post said. ‘FFRF will continue to defend secular education and the rights of all Americans to be free from government-imposed religion.’”
The Oklahoma media, including an Oklahoma City TV station, also thought our perspective newsworthy: “We are pleased with the outcome,” said Patrick Elliott, legal director of the Freedom From Religion Foundation. The Freedom From Religion Foundation views the ruling as a victory, with Elliott explaining that it keeps public schools open to all students.
Read further for a really juicy quote from Patrick.
We’re doing OK in Oklahoma
It seems that the Oklahoma media is quite fond of us. Outlets there have prominently featured our move to get the state superintendent’s case against us quashed.
“A nonprofit called the Freedom From Religion Foundation wants a judge to dismiss State Superintendent Ryan Walters’ lawsuit against them,” a Fox affiliate states. “The lawsuit, filed by Walters and the State Department of Education in March, claims the FFRF attacks the religious freedoms of Oklahoma students.”
It goes on to provide quite a favorable portrayal of our organization.
Another Oklahoma-based publication with a distinctive focus also has been paying attention.
“Civil liberties groups are calling a lawsuit by the Oklahoma State Department of Education a direct attack on free speech after Superintendent Ryan Walters filed legal action against the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) for objecting to religious activity in public schools,” reports the Black Wall Street Times. “The ACLU and ACLU of Oklahoma, representing FFRF, filed a motion Friday to dismiss what they call a ‘SLAPP’ suit — short for Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation. They allege it’s designed to punish constitutionally protected advocacy.”
North Carolina loves us, too
Our objection to an overtly religious Christian boy band concert at a North Carolina public school has gotten sustained media attention.
“The event has drawn scrutiny from groups that advocate for the separation of church and state, including the Freedom From Religion Foundation and Americans United for the Separation of Church and State,” says a public radio story. “Both groups sent letters to the district to lodge complaints about the event.”
The local paper ran a big story, as well.
“Freedom From Religion Foundation officials called the program ‘a shocking violation of the separation of state and church,’ and urged the school district to ensure such violations don’t occur again,” said a High Point Enterprise piece. “‘This turned a public school into a platform for religious proselytization,’ the foundation wrote on its website. … Foundation attorney Madeline Ziegler, who wrote the letter to the school district, hinted at the possibility of legal action if corrective steps are not taken, citing a similar case in West Virginia that resulted in a lawsuit.”
The North Carolina media seems to be focusing on us quite a lot. Our criticism of a school board’s regular prayer has received attention.
“‘It is coercive, insensitive, and intimidating to force nonreligious and non-Christian citizens to choose between making a public showing of their nonbelief by refusing to participate in the prayer or else display deference toward a religious sentiment in which they do not believe, but which their school board members clearly do,’ Christopher Line, an attorney with the Freedom from Religion Foundation, wrote to the Cabarrus County school board,” says an article in The Charlotte Observer. “Line told The Charlotte Observer the foundation may consider legal action against the board should it adopt a policy FFRF believes to violate constitutional rights.”
Our defense of the Cabarrus County School Board member who objected to the religious proceedings also drew attention.
“A national group that advocates secular government, The Freedom From Religion Foundation, put out a press release saying that they stand behind Pam Escobar,” a story in a libertarian North Carolina publication stated. “‘We’re proud to support this teacher and brave board member Pam Escobar for standing up for the rights of all students, parents and staff — regardless of religion or lack thereof,’ said FFRF legal counsel Chris Line. ‘Public schools are not churches, and school board meetings are no place for religious rituals, which invariably exclude and divide.’”
National media outlets latch on to our Hegseth critique
Nationally renowned media portals have featured our denunciation of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth foisting prayer on the Pentagon. (We did a follow-up yesterday.)
“‘This is a blatant violation of the First Amendment and its proscription of religion in government,’ FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor said in a statement,” says a Raw Story piece. “‘Assuming the pastor’s boast is true, these prayer meetings would not only exclude and marginalize the significant number of nonreligious and non-Christian service members, they will send the impermissible message that Christianity is the Pentagon’s preferred faith.’”
Another prominent outlet, Mediate, stated: “Last week, the Freedom From Religion Foundation called on the Department of Defense to pump the brakes on the prayer service, calling it ‘a blatant violation of the First Amendment.’”
We have an op-ed in the alternative Dallas weekly
Two staffers at our legislative arm, Mickey Dollens and Ryan Dudley, got an op-ed published in the alternative Dallas weekly objecting to a pending Texas Legislature bill.
“Texas House members should uphold their oaths of office and reject Senate Bill 10, which would require all public schools to display a poster of the King James Bible edition of the Ten Commandments in every classroom,” begins their persuasively written column in the Dallas Observer. “Voting no on SB 10 doesn’t mean one is anti-religion, but rather pro-Constitution.”
Our letter in the Columbus paper
FFRF Staff Attorney Sammi Lawrence had a letter in the Columbus, Ohio, paper in response to a theocratic column arguing for religious release-time programs. “Our nation’s education system is meant to educate, not indoctrinate,” Sammi’s letter emphasized.
Religiously favorable treatment
We condemned the Department of Education’s recent decision to let the religious Grand Canyon University off the hook after it misled thousands of students about the true cost of its doctoral programs. The decision reeks of religious favoritism and political interference. “Under the Trump administration, it seems Christian privilege trumps accountability,” said Annie Laurie.
No public school religious shrines!
We were pleased to see a religious shrine removed from a counselor’s office in Minnesota’s Mankato Area Public Schools system. After we wrote a letter, the district took action. FFRF is pleased to hear that students can once again seek guidance free from religious coercion.
A bad reconciliation bill
Our legislative arm, the FFRF Action Fund, has been keeping a careful watch on congressional happenings. It strongly opposed House passage of the GOP’s sweeping reconciliation bill, which advances key components of the theocratic Project 2025 agenda and delivers a major victory for Christian nationalists at the expense of public education, reproductive freedom and secular democracy. The Fund urges the Senate to reject this dangerous legislation.
Interesting ‘Theocrat’ and ‘Secularist’ picks
The Fund’s “Theocrat of the Week” is a notorious Idaho-based pastor who is opening a church in Washington, D.C., to promote Christian nationalism and “be present both in and around the Trump administration.” Pastor Doug Wilson recently announced that his Christ Church, a Calvinist church in Moscow, Idaho, will “establish a church plant” blocks away from the U.S. Capitol. The church is set to open on July 13.
The Fund’s “Secularist of the Week” is former Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, who defended state-church separation and public schools at a VoteVets Town Hall last week in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Buttigieg discussed the constitutional principle of the separation of state and church and its importance in public schools nationwide. Kudos!
Our final TV episode features NY Times columnist Jamelle Bouie
Some bittersweet news. We’re airing this week the final episode of our TV show, which has a featured interview with the acclaimed New York Times columnist Jamelle Bouie. Bouie will be speaking at our convention in Myrtle Beach, S.C., in mid-October, where he’ll receive the Clarence Darrow Award. You can watch the entire interview on our YouTube channel right now. Or find out where and when to catch it Sunday on television.
After seven seasons, this Sunday’s show will be the final “Freethought Matters” in a format intended for broadcast TV. We usually go into a summer hiatus with the program, but this summer FFRF will be at work producing new programming. Stay tuned!
Wild Christian takeover
This week on Freethought Radio, we first honor the life and work of our friend, the Broadway composer Charles Strouse (who wrote “Annie” and “Bye Bye Birdie”) by hearing some of his music, including “Poor Little Me,” which he co-wrote with FFRF Co-President Dan Barker. Then, Freethought Radio co-hosts Dan Barker and Annie Laurie Gaylor interview journalist Talia Lavin on her new book “Wild Faith: How the Christian Right Is Taking Over America.”
Combating Christian nationalism
For our Facebook Live feature “Ask an Atheist,” Mickey Dollens and FFRF Deputy Legal Director Liz Cavell speak to Rev. Shannon Fleck on her work combating Christian nationalism. Watch the riveting discussion here.
A book banning Supreme Court case
The new episode of the “We Dissent” podcast looks at a recent Supreme Court case that could decide what books public school students can access. Liz Cavell and Americans United Legal Director Rebecca Markert continue their coverage of religious cases before the Supreme Court, focusing this time on Mahmoud v. Taylor. They explain how the case came to be, what the oral arguments seemed to indicate, and how the consequences of the case could force public school districts to bend to the will of their most conservative religious parents.
A welcome decision
FFRF Staff Attorney Sammi Lawrence focuses in her new blog on a welcome recent circuit court decision.
“In a legal landscape full of division, it’s a relief to see the 5th Circuit, the most conservative appeals court, make the right choice,” she concludes. “It’s also rewarding to know that the amicus briefs FFRF’s legal team puts countless hours into crafting can help lead to positive results. Despite these uncertain times, our legal team is committed to using every avenue available to help protect, and someday rebuild, the wall between state and church.”
Sotomayor’s inspiring words
FFRF Staff Attorney Chris Line writes about Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor’s recent call to courage — and what it means for us at the Freedom From Religion Foundation.
“Let’s keep standing up,” Chris exhorts.
We are able to adhere to that adage day in and day out only due to your enthusiastic support.
