Yesterday, FCDF filed a fiery response in federal court to the Council on American-Islamic Relations’ (CAIR) amicus brief that defended its collaboration with the San Diego Unified School District on an “Anti-Islamophobia Initiative.” The initiative singles out Muslim students for exclusive accommodations and empowers CAIR to radically revise school curriculum to portray Islam more “favorably.”…
Yesterday, the Freedom of Conscience Defense Fund (FCDF) filed a brief in federal district court in reply to the San Diego Unified School District’s defense of its ongoing relationship with the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). At issue is the District’s “Anti-Islamophobia Initiative,” which launched last year in collaboration with CAIR. The program singles out…
The San Diego Unified School District’s superintendent and board of education filed their answer on Monday to the federal civil rights lawsuit brought by five families and two local organizations challenging the District’s “anti-Islamophobia initiative.” The multi-year program was developed under the direction of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) as a “holistic” plan to…
The Freedom of Conscience Defense Fund (FCDF) yesterday issued investigative subpoenas to the California chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and its local office in San Diego. The subpoenas are part of FCDF’s federal civil rights lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the San Diego Unified School District’s (SDUSD) “anti-Islamophobia initiative.” The multi-year program…
Today, a federal judge ruled that the San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD) must hand over critical evidence to five families as part of their legal challenge to the district’s “anti-Islamophobia initiative.” The program, which was enacted last April, singles out Muslim students for special protections and empowers a controversial Islamic advocacy organization, the Council…
Today, FCDF filed a comprehensive motion for a preliminary injunction with hundreds of pages of supporting evidence in federal court in its case against challenging the San Diego Unified School District’s “Anti-Islamophobia Initiative.” The Initiative, which was developed in partnership with the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), singles out Muslim students for special accommodations, calls…
Yesterday, government officials indicated in a phone conference with Cathy Miller’s attorneys that they would likely appeal a Kern County Superior Court ruling in favor of Cathy, a devout Christian and owner of Tastries Bakery in Bakersfield, who declined to design a custom wedding cake celebrating a same-sex marriage. In response to the State’s indication,…
Late this afternoon, Superior Court Judge David Lampe denied the State of California’s request for a preliminary injunction to either force Cathy Miller to design custom wedding cakes for same-sex couples or not create wedding cakes at all. If forced to comply, Cathy faced the possibility of losing up to forty percent of her business…
Today, Charles LiMandri, Chief Counsel of the Freedom of Conscience Defense Fund (FCDF), is arguing in Kern County Superior Court in opposition to the state government’s request for an injunction to force Cathy Miller, owner of Tastries Bakery, to design custom wedding cakes that promote messages inconsistent with her faith and conscience. If the judge grants the…
Cathy Miller, the owner of Tastries Bakery, filed an opposition brief last Friday in state court in response to the State of California’s legal fight to force her either to design wedding cakes promoting messages she disagrees with or to stop creating wedding cakes altogether. Last August, two women came into Cathy’s shop and requested…
