Friend:

I know you’ve heard quite a bit from us this week – it’s been a busy one. The Trump administration hijacked Religious Freedom Day to encourage coercive religious activity in public schools, and to roll back religious freedom protections for millions of vulnerable people seeking taxpayer-funded social services.

Team, you should have seen our “war room” whip into action! I know you would have joined me in being so proud to see our staff come together across our different departments, all bringing our expertise to the table. We quickly produced an assortment of products ranging from a report on religion in public school to analysis of the proposed regulations to a petition and press release that we shared with the media, our coalition partners, members of Congress and on social media.

But today, I want to share some good news too: This week, AU’s legal team secured a major victory in court!

As you may remember, AU, the National Women’s Law Center and the Center for Reproductive Rights went to court in Indiana on behalf of University of Notre Dame students who lost their birth control coverage due to Trump administration rules that invite universities to use religion to deny access. This week, a federal court allowed our lawsuit against both the Trump rules and the administration’s illegal settlement with Notre Dame to proceed, sending a clear warning that this misuse of religious freedom is unacceptable.

Yesterday, the Supreme Court agreed to hear a case challenging these Trump administration birth control rules. AU will be strongly urging the Court to affirm they are an unconstitutional misuse of religious freedom. Of course, we will keep you informed as both cases progress.

Our work would not exist without your support, team. Thank you for everything you do to protect religious freedom.

With hope and determination,