Friend,

We must take Justice Sotomayor's words to heart.

The Supreme Court has radically redefined our long-held understanding of religious freedom. This is the culmination of decades of work and hundreds of millions of dollars poured into lawsuits by Christian nationalists. In Tuesday’s decision in Carson v. Makin, the court opened the door to government-enforced tithing, an invitation religious extremists will not ignore.

We cannot let the court’s decision this week break our resolve. Now is the time to fight back and defend our constitutional freedom. AU has spent the last 75 years fighting attacks on church-state separation, and we won’t stop now.

Our work is powered by you, our members, banding together to speak up for our rights. The only way we can take on Christian nationalists is with your help! Donate now to fight with us.

This nation was built on the promise of religious freedom, which has always prevented the state from using its taxing power to force citizens to fund religious worship or education. In Carson v. Makin, the court has violated that founding principle by requiring Maine’s taxpayers to fund religious schools.

Incredibly, the court ruled that Maine’s refusal to fund religious education was discriminatory. The court’s ultra-conservative bloc is gaslighting us. If they cared about preventing discrimination, they wouldn’t be forcing Maine taxpayers to fund religious schools that discriminate against LGBTQ people and non-Christians.

Far from honoring religious freedom, this decision tramples the religious freedom of everyone. It will open the floodgates to more litigation to further Christian nationalism’s goal of using the law to force all of us to live by their narrow beliefs.

Help position AU for the fight ahead. Please make a donation today.

Now, more than ever before, Americans United is committed to defending true religious freedom and public education from the assault mounted by religious extremists.

In Solidarity,

Rachel K. Laser
President and CEO