VA faith-based groups ask court to reconsider ruling that allows state to ruin them for their beliefs

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Alliance Defending Freedom attorneys representing two churches, three schools, and a pregnancy center network filed a motion Friday with the Loudoun County Circuit Court that asks it to reconsider its previous ruling in Calvary Road Baptist Church v. Herring in light of new information. The lawsuit challenges a Virginia law that forces nonprofit ministries to abandon their core convictions in hiring and other policies or face fines up to $100,000 for each violation.

The court had ruled that the nonprofits couldn’t challenge the law until they were threatened with prosecution, but three new federal appellate decisions have recognized the ability to file similar challenges. In addition, the motion for reconsideration provides legal precedent that supports the court’s jurisdiction over a previously dismissed commonwealth commission named as a defendant in the suit.
 

Alliance Defending Freedom is an alliance-building, non-profit legal organization committed to protecting religious freedom, free speech, parental rights, and the sanctity of life.

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