Friend:

I spend a lot of time thinking about how to elevate AU and our issue’s profile. We know that the vast majority of Americans support the separation of religion and government, but too many people don’t understand how seriously threatened it is today. And with the media market being so saturated with everything from war to COVID to the rash of abortion bans in the states, it’s hard to break through.

It gets a little easier, though, when your organization is arguing a case before the U.S. Supreme Court.

I spent the majority of the past week—and much of the last four months—speaking to television reporters, print journalists, radio shows, podcasts and more about the Supreme Court case AU will argue on Monday, Kennedy v. Bremerton School District. This week alone I’ve spoken to about two dozen journalists—from national outlets like The Associated Press and Nexstar’s 200 TV stations, to local TV and radio markets in places like San Francisco, Denver, Raleigh and Seattle, to legal podcasts Law360 and We The People, to political shows like The Hartmann Report and The Phil Ferguson Show.

My coworker Teddy helped with my Zoom interviews.

This case is critical—a loss would dangerously erode well-established law protecting students’ religious freedom. But many reporters I talk to are only just learning about the case, or they’ve only heard the deceitful narrative the coach’s attorneys are spinning about the coach just wanting to pray “quietly” and “by himself.”

“What’s at stake in the case?” is one of the most common questions I get. I explain that if the Court gets it wrong, teachers and coaches could pressure students to pray in public school classrooms all around the country. And I take the opportunity to remind people that church-state separation is what guarantees religious freedom, a foundational principle of our democracy. If the Supreme Court gets this case wrong, we could witness the greatest loss of religious freedom in generations.

This case should not be before the Court, because as the lower courts all ruled, the facts and the law are so emphatically on the side of the Bremerton School District. But unfortunately it is, and therefore it’s incumbent upon each of us to use it to illustrate how real the threat is to the separation of religion and government and true religious freedom. If you’ve ever had a hard time coming up with a short elevator speech about the importance of church-state separation and why your friends and family should join you in supporting Americans United, try describing this case.

I remain deeply grateful for your steadfast support, which enables AU to argue this seminal case at the Supreme Court—and in the court of public opinion.

With hope and gratitude,

Rachel K. Laser
President and CEO