“Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God.” -1 Peter 2:16
Dear Friends—
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett has only been on the high bench for a month and half; and yet, she has already made her mark on history by voting to uphold the religious freedom in America.
On the eve of Thanksgiving, Justice Barrett was the deciding vote in a narrow 5-4 decision which temporarily blocked New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s attendance limits in houses of worship. In the majority opinion, Justices Thomas, Alito, Gorsuch, Kavanaugh, and Barrett ruled that limiting churches, synagogues, and mosques to just 10 to 25 worshippers violated the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment.
“Members of this Court are not public health experts, and we should respect the judgment of those with special expertise and responsibility in this area. But even in a pandemic, the Constitution cannot be put away and forgotten. The restrictions at issue here, by effectively barring many from attending religious services, strike at the very heart of the First Amendment’s guarantee of religious liberty.”
In a concurring opinion, Justice Gorsuch strongly denounced the disparate treatment between houses of worship and other “essential businesses,” noting that while a large New York synagogue in the red zone would be capped at just 10 people, a small liquor store or bicycle shop in the same red zone would have no such restriction. Justice Gorsuch concluded:
“It is time—past time—to make plain that, while the pandemic poses many grave challenges, there is no world in which the Constitution tolerates color-coded executive edicts that reopen liquor stores and bike shops but shutter churches, synagogues, and mosques.”
The impact of Judge Barrett’s deciding vote and the high court’s decision in this case quickly rippled from one coast to another – from New York to California. On December 3rd, the U.S. Supreme Court vacated a federal judge’s ruling that allowed the State of California to impose harsher restrictions on worship services than comparable secular activities. The restrictions in California remain in place. However, they may not stand when the federal judge applies the new precedent.
Though questions remain about the government’s power to limit constitutional rights during a pandemic, the U.S. Supreme Court has now sent a clear message to our nation’s governors. Though the state may burden the free exercise of religion to further a compelling government interest (e.g. mitigating the spread of COVID), the state may only do so using the least restrictive means available. And under no circumstance should houses of worship be slapped with more severe restrictions than secular businesses, gatherings, and/or activities.
To all the pastors, ministry leaders, and volunteers working faithfully each week to prepare and offer a safe worship environment for your congregants – thank you! As my pastor recently shared, “It is our job to minister to the things that a vaccine cannot help…and to point people to the truth and hope we have in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”
To that end, we press on!
Pastor Vince Torres
President & Executive Director
P.S. Our $25,000 year-end challenge grant is well underway, and thanks to the generosity of ministry partners like you, we are very close to meeting our goal. As of today, we have raised $20,827.
If you have not yet given, would you please consider helping us raise the remaining $4,173 today by sending a gift of $50, $100, $250, or $500?
Thank you for your faithful prayers and support!
Today was an exciting day on Capitol Hill. After 30 hours of debate – including a Sunday overnight session – the Senate voted 52-48 to confirm Amy Coney Barrett as Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court.
Find out how your state’s two senators voted below.
As my colleagues and I put it in our recent op-ed, Barrett is a unicorn to the Left but the future to us. A woman isn’t supposed to achieve great professional success and raise a large family, and a person of faith isn’t supposed to earn acclaim from legal scholars of every political persuasion and land a seat on the highest court in the land, right? Wrong. As Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said, Barrett has not “punch[ed] through a glass ceiling, but a reinforced concrete barrier.” Justice Amy Coney Barrett personifies the extraordinary capability of a woman and the hope of America at this pivotal time in our nation’s history.
The addition of a young, originalist justice to the Supreme Court indeed gives Americans of faith and pro-life values specific hope for the potential undoing of Roe v. Wade.. Barrett’s confirmation also provides optimism for the future of religious freedom in our country and the ability of people of faith to exercise their deeply held beliefs without reprisal.
It is expected that Justice Barrett will sit on the bench next Wednesday (the day after Election Day) to hear oral arguments in the case of Fulton v. City of Philadelphia. This landmark case centers on two foster care moms – Sharonell Fulton and Toni Simms-Busch – and the City of Philadelphia. In 2018, the city ended its partnership with Catholic Social Services because the agency would not bow to the city’s demands to change its religious practices and place children with same-sex couples. Sharonell and Toni are both single women of color who have been called to help at-risk children break the cycle of foster care, but today their homes sit empty. They have fostered more than 45 kids between them, and are more than willing to continue this heroic work if the agency that aligns with their faith and values – Catholic Social Services – is allowed to reopen with its mission intact.
In addition to the likelihood of the current Supreme Court affirming laws to protect human life and religious liberty, there is also great reason to hope the addition of Amy Coney Barrett will usher in a return to the Court’s proper role of interpreting laws and the Constitution as written. If the judiciary fulfills its Constitutional mandate instead of legislating from the bench, pro-family, pro-life and pro-religious freedom Americans can expect to be pleased with the outcome.
Even as we celebrate the positive potential outcomes of Justice Barrett’s confirmation, we remain cautious given the unknown outcome of next week’s election. It is wise to acknowledge that the significant gains made possible by the newest Supreme Court justice could be undone if the next president of the United States determines to “pack the court.” Joe Biden has said we’ll “find out after [he’s] elected” what he thinks about court packing. He’s also voiced his intention to assemble a commission to research the issue. These messages provide no comfort to pro-life Americans who know Biden’s position on abortion includes support for codifying Roe v. Wade and if given a chance, will appoint pro-abortion, activist judges. The threat this poses intensifies with the possibility of Democrat leadership growing the number of justices on the Supreme Court with the intention to make it a super-legislature.
Meanwhile, we know President Trump’s record of federal court nominations. He has appointed more than 200 jurists – including three Supreme Court justices – to the federal bench who are committed to interpreting the law and Constitution faithfully. Appreciation is due to President Trump, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and all senators who have voted to confirm these individuals – and Justice Amy Coney Barrett in particular.
As we look expectantly to the future of the federal judiciary, we do so prayerfully and hopefully as Election 2020 nears.
Sincerely,
Amanda Banks
External Relations Manager
Here’s how your state’s 2 Senators voted on confirming Justice Amy Coney Barrett:
| Alabama | Vote | Montana | Vote |
| Jones, Doug – D | N | Daines, Steve – R | Y |
| Shelby, Richard – R | Y | Tester, Jon – D | N |
| Alaska | Nebraska | ||
| Murkowski, Lisa – R | Y | Fischer, Deb – D | N |
| Sullivan, Dan – R | Y | Sasse, Ben – R | Y |
| Arizona | Nevada | ||
| McSally, Martha – R | Y | Cortez Masto, Catherine – D | N |
| Sinema, Krysten – D | N | Rosen, Jacky – D | N |
| Arkansas | New Hampshire | ||
| Boozman, John – R | Y | Hassan, Margaret Wood – D | N |
| Cotton, Tom – R | Y | Shaheen, Jeanne – D | N |
| California | New Jersey | ||
| Feinstein, Dianne – D | N | Booker, Cory – D | N |
| Harris, Kamala – D | N | Menendez, Bob – D | N |
| Colorado | New Mexico | ||
| Bennet, Michael – D | N | Heinrich, Martin – D | N |
| Gardner, Cory – R | Y | Udall, Tom – D | N |
| Connecticut | New York | ||
| Blumenthal, Richard – D | N | Gillibrand, Kirsten – D | N |
| Murphy, Christopher – D | N | Schumer, Charles – D | N |
| Delaware | North Carolina | ||
| Carper, Thomas – D | N | Burr, Richard – R | Y |
| Coons, Christopher – D | N | Tillis, Thom – R | Y |
| Florida | North Dakota | ||
| Rubio, Marco – R | Y | Cramer, Kevin – R | Y |
| Scott, Rick – R | Y | Hoeven, John – R | Y |
| Georgia | Ohio | ||
| Loeffler, Kelly – R | Y | Brown Sherrod – D | N |
| Perdue, David – R | Y | Portman, Rob – R | Y |
| Hawaii | Oklahoma | ||
| Hirono, Mazie – D | N | Inhofe, James – R | Y |
| Schatz, Brian – D | N | Lankford, James – R | Y |
| Idaho | Oregon | ||
| Crapo, Mike – R | Y | Merkley, Jeff – D | N |
| Risch, James – R | Y | Wyden, Ron – D | N |
| Illinois | Pennsylvania | ||
| Duckworth, Tammy – D | N | Casey, Robert – D | N |
| Durbin, Richard – D | N | Toomey, Patrick – R | Y |
| Indiana | Rhode Island | ||
| Braun, Mike – R | Y | Reed, Jack – R | Y |
| Young, Todd – R | Y | Whitehouse, Sheldon – D | N |
| Iowa | South Carolina | ||
| Ernst, Joni – R | Y | Graham, Lindsey – R | Y |
| Grassley, Chuck – R | Y | Scott, Tim – R | Y |
| Kansas | South Dakota | ||
| Moran, Jerry – R | Y | Rounds, Mike – R | Y |
| Robert, Pat – R | Y | Thune, John – R | Y |
| Kentucky | Tennessee | ||
| McConnell, Mitch – R | Y | Alexander, Lamar – R | Y |
| Paul, Rand – R | Y | Blackburn, Marsha – R | Y |
| Louisiana | Texas | ||
| Cassidy, Bill – R | Y | Cornyn, John – R | Y |
| Kennedy, John – R | Y | Cruz, Ted – R | Y |
| Maine | Utah | ||
| Collins, Susan – R | N | Lee, Mike – R | Y |
| King, Angus – I | N | Romney, Mitt – R | Y |
| Maryland | Vermont | ||
| Cardin, Benjamin – D | N | Leahy, Patrick – D | N |
| Van Hollen, Chris – D | N | Sander, Bernie – I | N |
| Massachusetts | Virginia | ||
| Markey, Edward – D | N | Kaine, Tom – D | N |
| Warren, Elizabeth – D | N | Warner, Mark – D | N |
| Michigan | Washington | ||
| Peters, Gary – D | N | Cantwell, Maria – D | N |
| Stabenow, Debbie – D | N | Murray, Patty – D | N |
| Minnesota | West Virginia | ||
| Klobuchar, Amy – D | N | Capito, Shelly Moore – R | Y |
| Smith, Tina – D | N | Manchin, Joe – D | N |
| Mississippi | Wisconsin | ||
| Hyde-Smith, Cindy – R | Y | Baldwin, Tammy – D | N |
| Wicker, Roger – R | Y | Johnson, Ron – R | Y |
| Missouri | Wyoming | ||
| Blunt, Roy – R | Y | Barasso, John – R | Y |
| Hawley, Josh – R | Y | Enzi, Michael – R | Y |
During Judge Barrett’s confirmation hearings, even liberal media were impressed by her lack of notes as she answered question after question. Now, she’s become a “meme-phenomenon” with her blank notepad in hand.
It became clear last week that the list of reasons not to confirm Judge Barrett were as long as the notes on Judge Barrett’s blank notepad. This is why her nomination passed out of the Senate Judiciary Committee with a unanimous 12-0 vote, and why protesting Democrats staged antics instead of actually doing their job to participate in the committee vote.
The full Senate is expected to approve Judge Barrett as the Supreme Court’s next Justice, the fifth woman to serve on the highest court.
The future of the Constitution and the proper roles of our branches of government look bright with a Judge Barrett confirmation. Many of the serious threats America faces today to life, family, religious freedom and more found their genesis in bad court decisions where judges or justices attempted to legislate from the bench. Judge’s Barrett’s confirmation is a beacon of hope that the tide is turning back to the proper role of the judiciary — to apply the law equally to all, and to interpret (not create) law as it was intended to mean when written.
But the majority needs as many votes as possible.
If you haven’t yet, please take a moment to write your two Senators, asking them to vote YES to confirm Judge Barrett today!
The vote is expected today, so time is running out to add your voice to those calling for Judge Barrett’s confirmation!
Thank you for taking action!
Autumn Leva
Vice President for Strategy
P.S. By the way, we’ve made it easy to send a message to your Senators through our Action Center. It only takes 1 minute!
Friends,
In just four days, the full U.S. Senate is expected to vote on the confirmation of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court. Judge Barrett’s confirmation would mark a sea change for conservative women of faith: her nomination has already sent a clear message of support for those who value their faith, family, and conservative values in addition to their careers.
Today we were honored to have a piece published in The Christian Post, authored by four female members of the Family Policy Alliance team. In it, we examine what the (hopeful) confirmation of Judge Barrett to the Supreme Court signals for conservative women of faith. We’ve shared the text of the article below – plus a bonus link where you can urge your Senators to confirm Judge Barrett!
Amy Coney Barrett is a unicorn to the left; To us, she’s the future
By Sonja Swiatkiewicz, Amanda Banks, Meridian Baldacci, Autumn Leva
To the Left, Judge Amy Coney Barrett is a unicorn — she’s not supposed to exist. A woman isn’t supposed to achieve her dreams of professional success without aborting children — let alone with seven children. A person of faith isn’t supposed to possess the intellectual legal prowess to graduate summa cum laude from a prestigious law school, become a judge on a federal appellate court, or be nominated to the nation’s highest court.
But to us, Judge Barrett is the future. All four of us are professional women, working in the traditionally male-dominated fields of law, policy, and politics. All four of us are women of deep faith. Two of us have daughters. One of us is a fellow Hoosier. And we all see our futures and our daughters’ futures in Judge Barrett.
Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said it well in his opening comments last week: “This is about you – all the young, conservative women out there. This hearing to me is about a place for you. I hope when this hearing is over, there will be a place for you at the table, a spot for you at the Supreme Court.”
To be sure, none of us is claiming that we could one day achieve a nomination to the Supreme Court, or that we are “generationally brilliant,” as Judge Barrett was described by her Notre Dame colleague and as her confirmation hearings have already shown. But make no mistake, Judge Barrett’s nomination (and, we trust, confirmation) marks a sea change for women — and for America.
For starters, abortion is no longer a “women’s rights” issue — not that it ever was. Insisting that women had to snuff out the life within them in order to be successful —and labeling those who didn’t believe that as “anti-woman” — was always a bill of goods.
Unlike Ranking Member Feinstein (D-CA), who called abortion a woman’s “fundamental right” and seemed to refer to pregnancy as “a problem that all women see one way or another in their life,” we consider our ability to bear life a fundamental privilege and view pregnancy as a miracle reserved for women.
As a mother of seven and a devout Catholic, Judge Barrett has a personal life that indicates she not only agrees with us in theory – but in practice as well.
While women of our generation have been told that we must choose between having a family and succeeding professionally – and that to choose family is the less important, less rewarding decision – in Judge Barrett we see a woman who has done both and emulates the dignity, joy, and paramount importance of bearing the title “mom.”
The future of religious freedom in America looks bright with a Judge Barrett confirmation. She stands for the many women – and men – of deep faith in our country, who wonder if there is still a place for them in public life.
As Senator Josh Hawley reminded us, we live in a free country where “there are no religious tests for office.” Your faith – our faith – give us guiding principles for our lives and be an asset – not a hinderance – to our ability to assume fulfilling, consequential roles.
Cultural and political changes, and even decisions from the Supreme Court, have led many Americans to believe that the words “wall of separation between church and state” exist in the Constitution (they don’t). And many believe that faith should be something only expressed inside the four walls of your home and church. Judge Barrett’s confirmation would signal hope to Americans of deep faith that they do not need to hide.
The future of the Constitution and the proper roles of our branches of government look bright with a Judge Barrett confirmation. Many of the serious threats America faces today to life, family, religious freedom and more found their genesis in bad court decisions where judges or justices attempted to legislate from the bench. Judge’s Barrett’s confirmation is a beacon of hope that the tide is turning back to the proper role of the judiciary — to apply the law equally to all, and to interpret (not create) law as it was intended to mean when written.
America’s future looks bright indeed. Even the Left finds it difficult to criticize the expertise and qualifications of Judge Barrett. Liberal media outlets praised her for not using a single note to answer question after question during her hearings, as she cited court rulings, prior confirmation hearings and more. It gives America reason to hope that we can still be respectful and united in affirming a person’s hard work, intelligence, and qualifications, regardless of our ideological or religious agreement.
For the future of America, for us, and for our daughters, the Senate should confirm Judge Barrett.
For the Kingdom,
Autumn Leva, Amanda Banks, Meridian Baldacci & Sonja Swiatkiewicz
President Trump has made his nomination and now it’s time for us to act!
President Trump has been very transparent with all Americans about the type of jurist he would select—one who will faithfully apply the law and protect the Constitution as written. In naming Seventh Circuit Judge Amy Coney Barrett as his nominee to our high Court, he continues to fulfill his promise to Americans.
Judge Barrett’s record not only demonstrates her faithfulness to interpret the law as written and as its authors intended it—but she has also written extensively about this concept, known as “originalism.” Her professional resume is stellar, leaving no question she is qualified for the position. Her personal life reveals a working mom of seven, including two adopted children and a child with Down Syndrome. And, she’s a woman of deep faith.
In fact, California Senator Dianne Feinstein attacked Judge Barrett for her faith in 2017, and Judge Barrett has already proven she can withstand the brutal attacks of the Senate confirmation process. Senator Feinstein meant it as an insult when she said to Judge Barrett about her faith that “the dogma lives loudly within you.” Yet for all of us who are believers, we want—and are called—to live out our faith in such a way that it’s recognizable to the world around us. Judge Barrett is about to face even more brutal attacks on her faith and reputation than she already has, and she will need her faith to sustain her.
In naming Judge Barrett as his Supreme Court nominee, President Trump has done his part to keep his promise to Americans. Now, the brutal Senate confirmation process will begin, with political shots being fired about the nominee within hours of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death—before Judge Barrett had even been named. We know the vote will be close.
The Left is scared of Judge Barrett because they know she won’t assist in their strategy to make sweeping changes to our laws and Constitution from the bench. And, she may even provide the vote needed on the Court to undo prior bad decisions that did “legislate from the bench,” leaving both legal and real life devastation in their wake—like Roe v. Wade.
Your help is urgently needed to convince the Senate to quickly confirm Judge Barrett as our next Supreme Court Justice. Will you please take 1 minute to send a letter to your Senators? We’ve made it easy through our Action Center.
TAKE ACTION NOW
For law and for life,
Autumn Leva
Vice President of Strategy
P.S. Every Senator needs to know that the full weight of the American people is behind Judge Amy Coney Barrett—and that voters are watching every senator’s vote. Please email your senators now!
“…and they shall judge the people with righteous judgment.” –Deuteronomy 16:18
Dear Friends—
On Friday, September 19, Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, passed away following complications of metastatic pancreas cancer. She was 87. Upon learning of her passing, President Donald Trump said of Justice Ginsburg, “She was an amazing woman” who “led an amazing life.”
The passing of Justice Ginsburg further enflamed what was already an extremely heated election season. Democratic leaders immediately called for a delay in the nomination process until after the election. Republican leaders in the U.S. Senate, however, have stated their intent to commence the confirmation process immediately upon the President’s nomination.
Earlier this week, President Trump indicated that he will announce his Supreme Court Nominee this Saturday at the White House, and according to multiple sources, there are three women at the top of his shortlist.
Meet Federal Judge Amy Coney Barrett. Judge Barrett sits on the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals. She graduated top of her class at Notre Dame Law School and clerked for the late-Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. Judge Barrett is a devout Catholic and a married mother of seven children (2 adopted).
Meet Federal Judge Barbara Lagoa. Judge Lagoa currently sits on the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals. She is a graduate of Columbia Law School, and prior to joining the federal bench, she was the first Hispanic woman to sit on the Florida Supreme Court. Judge Lagoa is a devout Catholic and the married mother of three children.
Meet Judge Allison Jones Rushing. Judge Rushing sits on the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals. She is a graduate of the Duke University School of Law and previously clerked for Supreme Court Justices Clarence Thomas and Neil Gorsuch. Judge Rushing is also a devout Catholic and the married mother of one child. At age 38, she would be the youngest confirmed Justice since the early 1800s.
For those committed to the pro-life cause, this nomination represents perhaps the most significant moment in our history since the infamous Roe v. Wade decision in 1973. Some legal scholars suggest that one more conservative Supreme Court Justice may finally pave the way for the Court to overturn Roe (without relying on Chief Justice John Roberts), and thus, overturn one of the gravest human injustices in American history.
Will one of these women be the next Supreme Court Justice? Will one of these women be the vote needed to protect future generations of unborn babies in the womb?
All eyes will be on the White House this Saturday and on the U.S. Senate in the coming weeks.
During this time, I ask you to join me in prayer for our Nation; for our President and members of the U.S. Senate; for these potential nominees and others; and for the upcoming election. While some may use this time to further promote fear and chaos, let us sow hope and faith – knowing that God Almighty is in control, and that we can rest because He never does.
Prayerfully,
Vince Torres
President & Executive Director