Friend,

Americans United just notched an important victory in federal court: The Second Circuit held that churches are not above the law. “Simply having a religious association on one side of the ‘v’ does not automatically mean a district court must dismiss the case,” explained the court.

The win came in one of several cases in which AU represents former employees or members of churches and religious organizations who have faced discrimination, defamation and the blatant refusal by those organizations to follow the law.

We need your help to fight back. Donate now to help AU resist the abuse of religious freedom to undermine our fundamental rights.

Just as Father Alexander Belya was celebrating his promotion to bishop in an Orthodox Christian denomination, a handful of church officials — his colleagues — attacked his reputation in letters and social media posts, falsely calling him a forger and a grifter. The defamation cost him the new job and severely hampered his prospects for future employment.

Alarmingly, the church officials argued that they are above the law — that simply because they were all colleagues in the same church, courts can’t hear the defamation case. If the court had agreed with the church officials, it would have had disastrous and far-reaching impact for anyone trying to hold a church or religious organization accountable in a court of law. That’s why AU’s legal team stepped in to work on this case.

The Second Circuit’s ruling today was an important declaration that churches and religious organizations must follow the same rules of procedure as every other litigant in court. The rule of law won.

This fight is far from over. We need your support today to continue this battle to defend true religious freedom, protect everyone’s rights, and ensure that churches can be held accountable in courts of law.

With your support, we’ll continue to fight for freedom without favor and equality without exception. Help us with a contribution today.

Thank you for your support.

In solidarity,

Rachel K. Laser
President and CEO