Push For PERA, Stop ACLU Profits From Anti-Christian Lawsuits

Posted on July 5, 2006

Recently, Rees Lloyd of the American Legion and a former staff attorney with the ACLU testified under oath before Congress about how the organization profits from its lawsuits attacking Christianity. Testifying in favor of Indiana Congressman John Hostettler’s Public Expression of Religion Act (PERA), H.R. 2679, Lloyd noted that the ACLU’s attacks have been launched primarily against the Christian cross but the liberal litigation group has attacked Judaism’s Star of David as well, and has reaped millions of dollars in attorney fees by going after local governments that recognize America’s religious heritage in any way.

The ACLU received half a million dollars from the Alabama Ten Commandments case, and $950,000 in attorneys fees in a lawsuit against the Boy Scouts. Steve Crampton, chief counsel with the AFA Law Center and a constitutional law specialist, says the ACLU is able to collect these fees because of an obscure provision of the Civil Rights Act, which PERA is designed to amend.

“It was really just the ACLU and its like organizations on the left that ever benefited from this provision,” Crampton contends. He says the clause the ACLU is exploiting to attack religious expressions “was actually first placed into the law before any Christian groups ever existed.”

Whenever the ACLU succeeds in one of its attacks on religious expression, the AFA Law Center spokesman notes, its attorneys often recover substantial attorneys fees. He says the threat of these enormous legal expenses has a chilling effect on the exercise of many groups’ First Amendment rights. “It results in a situation where a lot of governmental entities refuse even to go to court,” he says, “for fear they will then have to pay fees that they don’t have the money to cover.”

Crampton and other faith and family advocates believe Congressman Hostettler’s legislation, if passed, could put an end to ACLU profits from anti-Christian litigation. PERA would do this by amending 42 U.S.C. sections 1983 and 1988 to prevent the use of the legal system in a way that extorts money from state and local governments and inhibits their constitutional actions.

The ACLU supports many radical causes, and while they may have every right to do so, it should not be at the expense of taxpayers that do not support such causes. Please contact your Congress critter, and representative, and tell them to support PERA. Find your Representative here. Find your Senator here.
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One Response to “Push For PERA, Stop ACLU Profits From Anti-Christian Lawsuits”

RedSonja2000 on July 6th, 2006 12:09 pm

“”It was really just the ACLU and its like organizations on the left that ever benefited from this provision,” Crampton contends.”

This is, of course, a bald-faced lie. All the Christian groups who have successfully sued the government for violating the constitution have received reimbursement for costs as well. If you have a strong case, why do you have to lie to support it?

In fact, if this bill is successful, it will hamper the efforts of Christians and other religious groups from preventing the government from violating their 1st Amendment rights. Duh. Do you really think it will be focused only on an organization you hate?