Nine months. Hundreds of families defended. Every one of them paid nothing. Here is the honest account — and what the rest of the year needs. ​͏​͏​͏​͏​͏​͏​͏​͏

Pacific Justice Institute
A mother holding her young son, who holds a small American flag
The year so far · 2026
What your support has already done this year

Friend,

We are nine months into the year, and before things get busy heading into the fall, I want to stop and give you an honest account of where we stand.

None of it happened without you.
The scope of the work
300+
cases taken on by our attorneys
36
offices serving families
26
states served
Hundreds
of attorneys and affiliate attorneys ready when a family calls
500+
requests for help fielded from parents, students, pastors, and church leaders who did not know where else to turn.

Here is the number I care about most.
$0
Every one of those clients paid nothing.
Not a retainer. Not a filing fee. Not an hourly rate.

For nearly three decades, Pacific Justice Institute has defended religious freedom, parental rights, and constitutional liberties free of charge, because a family should not lose their rights simply because they cannot afford an attorney.
One family · This summer · Michigan
Pastor Justin Phillips

A Michigan pastor, husband, and father of four. He joined a peaceful sit-in outside an abortion facility, praying and singing hymns, expecting that the most he might face was a misdemeanor trespassing charge.

Instead, federal prosecutors charged him under a Reconstruction-era conspiracy statute, and after a six-week trial he was convicted. A presidential pardon before sentencing ended the case.

David Peters, our staff attorney in Michigan, stood with Pastor Phillips through every day of that prosecution.

And we are not finished. We are now preparing a federal claim asking whether he was singled out because of what he believes.

That is what those numbers look like when you get close to them. One family at a time.
The rest of the year is already spoken for.

The cases on our desks right now do not pause because the calendar turned to fall.
Parents
A month into a new school year and already running into curriculum questions, notification gaps, and opt-out requests being denied.
Churches
Facing pressure over what they can teach and who they can hire.
Students
Being told their faith belongs somewhere other than their classroom.

Our attorneys are working those files today.

What we do not have

A matching increase in support. Legal defense at this scale runs on gifts from people who will never be a client and never see the inside of a courtroom.

That is the entire model. It has held for nearly thirty years because friends like you keep it standing.

If this work has meant something to you, would you help us finish the year strong?
$50 ([link removed]) $100 ([link removed]) $250 ([link removed]) Other ([link removed])
GIVE TO PROTECT FAMILIES ([link removed])

Whatever you are able to give goes straight into the work. Every gift means one more family gets an attorney at the moment they need one, and never sees a bill.

Thank you for standing with us through the first nine months of this year. I am grateful for you.

Running the Race,
Brad Dacus
Brad Dacus
Founder and President
Pacific Justice Institute
P.S. If you are already giving monthly, thank you. You are the reason we can say yes to a family in March without knowing what December looks like. If you have been meaning to start, giving monthly ([link removed]) takes about a minute.

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