Dear  John,

Today, the U.S. Supreme Court issued an important decision in Americans for Prosperity v. Bonta, a donor disclosure case with direct implications for religious liberty.

In its 6-3 ruling, the Court held that a California law requiring the disclosure of donor names is unconstitutional.

Earlier this year, First Liberty filed a friend-of-the court brief in this case on behalf of Citizen Power Initiatives for China (CPIC), a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing a peaceful transition to democracy in China. For CPIC, donor privacy is quite literally a matter of life and death, as its donors face reprisals by the Chinese government for carrying out their humanitarian work.

Please watch the video below. In it, our team explains in detail why today’s Supreme Court decision is a big win for religious freedom nationwide:

With today’s decision, the Court didn’t just guard the constitutional rights of a single nonprofit such as CPIC, but it also helps ensure government cannot attack or discriminate against millions of Americans who contribute to charities and causes that provide essential services all across our country.

Forcing charities to hand over and make their donor information public is unconstitutional—and it’s also very dangerous. Coupled with the toxic “cancel culture” that’s all around us, government having at its fingertips a compiled list of religious people and/or those who support faith-based groups is a recipe for disaster.

The ability to associate with others of like mind is indispensable to freedom. We’re very pleased that the Court recognized the disclosure of names and address of citizens simply for donating to a cause is chilling to the freedom of association—including the freedom to associate with, join and donate to the faith-based organizations that are near and dear to us.

As we celebrate this crucial victory for religious freedom, we also want to thank you for generously supporting First Liberty.

Thanks to YOU, First Liberty is answering the call—and we’re WINNING major victories for our First Freedom.

This is indeed a defining moment for religious liberty in America, and we’re grateful that we have courageous supporters like you who are stepping up like never before.

Gratefully,

Kelly

Kelly Shackelford
President, CEO & Chief Counsel
First Liberty Institute