Protecting the constitutional principle of the separation of state and church
Freethought Radio
HEIN v. FFRF DECISION
Oral Arguments Heard in Hein v. FFRF
  • Statement: “Imperial Presidency Can Now Promote Religion”
    June 28, 2007
  • Executive Actions to Promote Religion Ruled Beyond Court Scrutiny
    June 25, 2007
  • Supreme Court Dissent (PDF)
  • Hein v. FFRF background
  • Media columns and editorials blast Hein v. FFRF decision:
    • - Liberty Magazine, "A Matter of Standing" by Richard A. Epstein, professor of law
    - The Supreme 5: Only Congress can be sued, not White House, by Stephanie Salter,       syndicated columnist
    - Bush's church-state mess takes liberties with ours, by Robyn Blumner, St. Petersburg       Times
    - Faith and taxes, Los Angeles Times editorial
    - Three Bad Rulings, The New York Times editorial

    Legal Accomplishments

    Check out News Releases for Current Litigation Updates

    - Challenges of "Faith-based Initiative" & Recent Court Cases
    - Other Court Successes
    - Other Legal Successes
    - Other Court Challenges

    The Freedom From Religion Foundation, an educational, watchdog organization working to keep church and state separate, has had many significant legal accomplishments nationwide.

    The Foundation has taken and won more challenges of the "faith-based initiative" than any other national group to date.

    Important legal successes include:

    • Winning the first federal lawsuit challenging direct funding by the government of a faith-based agency
    • Overturning a state Good Friday holiday
      • Good Friday Plaintiffs
      Good Friday plaintiffs included Foundation staff and state employees.
      Photo by Brent Nicastro
    • Winning a lawsuit barring direct taxpayer subsidy of religious schools
    • Removing Ten Commandments monuments and crosses from public land
    • Halting the Post Office from issuing religious cancellations
    • Ending 51 years of illegal bible instruction in public schools

    Foundation complaints have:

    • Halted prayer at public institutions, and public financing of nativity pageants and Easter service
    • Stopped direct subsidy to religious schools
    • Stopped Job Corps trainees from being assigned to work on a Catholic shrine
    • Ended a 122-year abuse of commencement prayers at a Top Ten University
    • Declared unconstitutional the creation of a state post to "assist clergy"

    The national Foundation has brought nearly 30 First Amendment lawsuits since 1977, and keeps several Establishment law challenges in the courts at all times.

    The Freedom From Religion Foundation has sounded the alarm bell on a multitude of other First Amendment violations. We act on countless violations of separation of state and church on behalf of our membership and the public, successfully correcting many violations through persuasion and education.