WHO: ADF Legal Counsel Dale Schowengerdt
WHAT: Available for media interviews following hearing in Canyon Ferry Road Baptist Church v. Unsworth
WHEN: Monday, Aug. 4, following hearing, which begins at 9 a.m. PDT
WHERE: U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit, Park Place Building, 1200 6th St., 21st Floor, Suite 327, Seattle
SEATTLE — Alliance Defense Fund Legal Counsel Dale Schowengerdt will be available for media interviews Monday following a church’s free speech hearing in Canyon Ferry Road Baptist Church v. Unsworth. ADF attorneys are appealing a 2006 court decision holding the church in violation of a Montana campaign finance law because it did not report to the state when speaking on the social issue of Montana’s marriage amendment.
“Churches have the right to apply biblical truths to societal issues without fear of punishment. No one should be able to use the government to intimidate churches into giving up their constitutional rights,” said Schowengerdt. “Canyon Ferry Road Baptist Church was simply doing what churches do—addressing social issues from a biblical perspective. It should not be required to register with the government to do that. A church does not become a political committee simply because it speaks on an issue like marriage.”
In 2004, the Montana Commissioner of Political Practices investigated the church, following up on a complaint filed by homosexual activist group Montanans for Families and Fairness. The group claimed that the church violated a Montana political practices law by supporting a proposed state marriage amendment without registering as a political committee.
The commissioner held that the church should have organized, registered, and reported as an “incidental political committee.” ADF attorneys sued on behalf of the church, claiming the Montana campaign finance law is unconstitutional (www.telladf.org/news/story.aspx?cid=3881).
A fact sheet is available on the lawsuit at www.telladf.org/UserDocs/CanyonFerryFactSheet.pdf.
ADF is a legal alliance of Christian attorneys and like-minded organizations defending the right of people to freely live out their faith. Launched in 1994, ADF employs a unique combination of strategy, training, funding, and litigation to protect and preserve religious liberty, the sanctity of life, marriage, and the family.
www.telladf.org