Alliance Defending Freedom

Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), formerly the Alliance Defense Fund, is a conservative organization that provides the resources that will keep the door open for the spread of the Gospel through the legal defense of religious freedom, the sanctity of life, marriage and the family. Thirty-five religious organizations came together to create the Alliance Defense Fund on January 31, 1994. Per their website

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ADF is dedicated to preserving and reclaiming religious freedom. Unlike any other organization in America, this is being accomplished through strategic coordination with other like-minded organizations; training Christian attorneys and the future leaders of America; funding key, precedent-setting cases across America; and, when necessary, direct litigation through our in-house team of Christ-centered attorneys.

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Notable Legal Victories

• In Washington v. Glucksberg and Vacco v. Quill, the Supreme Court unanimously rules that the U.S. Constitution does not provide a “right” to assisted suicide.
• Madsen v. Women's Health Center, Inc., the Supreme Court struck down the 15-foot "floating bubble zone" wherein religious speech is prohibited by the state.
• (NEA) v. Finley, the Supreme Court rules 8–1 that the tax-funded NEA can refuse to give taxpayer dollars to pornographic and anti-Christian art.
• Troxel v. Granville, the Supreme Court affirms the rights of parents over the rights of the government in child rearing.
• The Supreme Court decided that the Boy Scouts is a private organization and can exclude advocates of homosexual behavior from its leadership.
• Good News Club v. Milford Central Schools, the Supreme Court sides with ADF-funded allied lawyers and decides that middle schools do not violate the U.S. Constitution when they allow Bible clubs to meet after hours.
• Zelman v. Simmons-Harris, the Supreme Court upholds the Ohio school voucher program, allowing parents to remove their children from underperforming public schools and use government vouchers for private or religious schools.
• City of Los Angeles v. Alameda Books, the Supreme Court upholds the right of communities to regulate pornographic businesses.
• United States v. American Library Association, the Supreme Court rules that Congress's mandate that publicly funded libraries provide internet filtering devices in order to protect children is constitutional.
• Lewis v. Alfaro, the California Supreme Court unanimously rules that San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom acted illegally when he directed the city and county clerk to grant marriage licenses to same-sex couples.
• Van Orden v. Perry, the Supreme Court upholds a Ten Commandments display on the grounds of the Texas Capitol complex, ruling that the Texas display did not violate the Establishment Clause.
• National Organization for Women (NOW) v. Scheidler, the Supreme Court once again issues a favorable decision, ruling unanimously that peaceful pro-life activists are not in violation of the federal laws intended to stop organized crime.
• Hein v. Freedom from Religion Foundation, the Supreme Court rules that an atheist organization lacks taxpayer standing to challenge the funding of a White House conference that informed both faith-based and secular organizations about federal funding for programs that help the poor.
• ADF wins a total of five cases protecting marriage and the family within the month of May, 2008.
• Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, the Supreme Court rules that election law cannot be manipulated to silence speech on religious freedom, the sanctity of life, marriage, and the family.

External Links

• Alliance Defending Freedom website