Alliance Defending Freedom
- https://adflegal.org/about-us
- https://adflegal.org/about-us/who-we-are/history
- Alliance Defending Freedom
- https://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Alliance_Defense_Fund
Founded by some 30 leaders of the Christian Right, the Alliance Defending Freedom is a legal advocacy and training group that has supported the recriminalization of homosexuality in the USA, and criminalization abroad; has defended state-sanctioned sterilization of trans people abroad; has linked homosexuality to pedophilia and claims that a "homosexual agenda" will destroy Christianity and society. ADF also works to develop "religious liberty" legislation and case law that will allow the denial of goods and services to LGBT people on the basis of religion.[1]
- ADF International, https://adfinternational.org/, https://adfinternational.org/who-we-are/
- https://adfinternational.org/who-we-are/history-of-success/
- https://adfinternational.org/advocacy-team-and-advisory-council/
- https://adfinternational.org/who-we-are/locations/
ADF International (UK)
- Incorporated Dec.18.2015 as ADF International (UK) Ltd, changed name on Feb.26.2016 to ADF International (UK). Registered as a charity on May.26.2017. Funded by ADF (US). Total exemption full accounts made up to 31 May 2017
- Charity No.1173195
- Company No.09923116
- Trustees/Directors: Andrew Moore, Paul Coleman, Benjamin Wyman Bull (resigned Dec.2017), Robert Edward Clarke ()
"During the month of Jun.2017, ADF UK ... govt's Commission for Countering Extremism... conducted a review... in partnership with a number of other organisations... met with the Department for International Development re refugees, ... "In the Dock" radio show hosted by retired High Court Judge Sir Jeremey Cooke. Monitors cases that come before the Supreme Court... attended several conferences, has engaged with parliamentarians and govt departments... Total exemption full accounts made up to 30 June 2017
- https://opencorporates.com/companies/gb/09923116
- http://beta.charitycommission.gov.uk/charity-details/?regid=1173195&subid=0
- http://opencharities.org/charities/1173195
I'm going through this article on SourceWatch: Alliance Defense Fund. It is old (2012), which makes it difficult. Other sources to go through:
- https://www.adflegal.org/training/adf-academy
- http://www.rightwingwatch.org/organizations/alliance-defense-fund/
- https://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Alliance_Defending_Freedom
- https://web.archive.org/web/20100221015446/http://www.blackstonelegalfellowship.org:80/About/ADF
1994: Founded by 30+ Christian ministries as a response to the American Civil Liberties Union, to defend "family values." ADF's major focus is strategizing and coordinating with hundreds of lawyers and right-wing groups to defend what they define as "Christian legal issues."
The ADF, which according to filings had an income of almost $40m last year, is funded by prominent benefactors including Erik Prince, founder of the Blackwater private security giant, the Covenant Foundation, which is financed by a leading member of the Texas Christian right, James Leininger, and the Bolthouse Foundation, a charity that rejects evolution, insisting "man was created by a direct act of God in His image, not from previously existing creatures". The ADF has joined forces with the Christian Legal Centre and Christian Concern For Our Nation to launch the Wilberforce Academy in the UK, which aims to train delegates "for servant-hearted, Christ-centred leadership in public life" having equipped them "with a robust biblical framework that guides their thinking, prayers and activity in addressing the issues facing our society". Several of its delegates have already gone on to work for the legal centre and Christian Concern. Guardian
Examples include anti-gay cases like Boy Scouts of America v. Dale and Schenck v. Pro-Choice Network, and a national strategy to "protect marriage," following Vermont's decision to allow same-sex civil unions. People for the American Way notes that ADF's founding groups "are influential members of the Right, they are pro-life, anti-gay and their ultimate goal is to see the law and govt of the US enshrined with conservative Christian principles."
In 2004, ADF's total revenue was $17,921,146 (fiscal year ended June 2004), with net assets of $20,581,560. [1] In its 2007 fiscal year, ADF spent $3,951,791 on direct litigation, according to Guidestar.[1]
In 1994, ADF solicited funds on Christian radio with an ad claiming, 'Pro-life demonstrations may soon be illegal. ... Religious broadcasting may soon be censored. Hiring homosexuals in Christian schools, churches, and even as Sunday School teachers may soon become the law of the land. ... Don't let Christianity become a crime' ... In 2003, ADF President, CEO, and General Counsel Alan Sears and ADF Vice President Craig Osten "expanded on that theme" in The Homosexual Agenda: Exposing the Principal Threat to Religious Freedom Today, "which ties homosexuality to pedophilia and other "disordered sexual behavior," according to the Southern Poverty Law Center, 2005.
ADF claims a high success rate in their legal challenges: "God has granted wins in almost three out of four cases decided (John 15:5). Cases that strengthen our position in the battle for religious freedom, the sanctity of human life, and traditional family values."[2]
People
Leadership
- Michael P. Farris, (Jan.2017-), https://adflegal.org/detailspages/biography-details/michael-p.-farris
- Alan Sears, founder, first president + CEO (1993-Jan.2017), https://adflegal.org/detailspages/biography-details/alan-sears,[3]
Board of Directors
- Terry Schlossberg, Board Chairman, https://adflegal.org/detailspages/biography-details/terry-schlossberg
- Tom Minnery, Board Vice Chairman, https://adflegal.org/detailspages/biography-details/tom-minnery
- Mark Maddoux, Board Secretary, https://adflegal.org/detailspages/biography-details/mark-maddoux
- Alfonso Aguilar, Board Member, https://adflegal.org/detailspages/biography-details/alfonso-aguilar
- Marjorie Dannenfelser, Board Member, https://adflegal.org/detailspages/biography-details/marjorie-dannenfelser
- Allen M Ginsborg, Board Member, https://adflegal.org/detailspages/biography-details/allen-m.-ginsborg
- Seth Morgan, Board Member, https://adflegal.org/detailspages/biography-details/seth-morgan
- Charles W Pickering, Sr., Board Member, https://adflegal.org/detailspages/biography-details/charles-w.-pickering-sr
- John Rogers, Board Member, https://adflegal.org/detailspages/biography-details/john-rogers
- Ruth Ross, Board Member, https://adflegal.org/detailspages/biography-details/ruth-ross
- Chapman Cox, Chairman Emeritus, https://adflegal.org/detailspages/biography-details/chapman-cox
Founders
- Larry Burkett, https://adflegal.org/detailspages/biography-details/larry-burkett
- Dr Bill Bright, https://adflegal.org/detailspages/biography-details/dr.-bill-bright
- Dr D James Kennedy, https://adflegal.org/detailspages/biography-details/dr.-d.-james-kennedy
- Dr James C Dobson, https://adflegal.org/detailspages/biography-details/dr.-james-c.-dobson
- Marlin Maddoux, https://adflegal.org/detailspages/biography-details/marlin-maddoux
Everyone
- https://adflegal.org/detailspages/
- Jeffrey Ventrella, Senior Counsel, Senior Vice President of Training, oversees the design and implementation of the ADF Blackstone Legal Fellowship, and the ADF Areté Academy. Federalist Society, Center for Cultural Leadership + Andrea_Minichiello_Williams#People (Andrew Sandlin) https://adflegal.org/detailspages/biography-details/jeffery-j.-ventrella, https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffery-ventrella-3bba469, https://www.zoominfo.com/p/Jeffery-Ventrella/201127070, https://www.christianpost.com/news/interview-with-jeffery-j-ventrella-of-the-alliance-defense-fund-19989/, https://twocare.org/the-alliance-defending-freedoms-ties-to-christian-reconstructionism/, [3]
- This Right-Wing Legal Powerhouse Wants to Make Gay Sex Illegal, https://www.huffingtonpost.com/carlos-maza/this-right-wing-legal-pow_b_6185878.html
- Roger Kiska, senior legal counsel, serves as legal counsel with Alliance Defending Freedom and is based in Vienna, Austria, where he specializes in international litigation with a focus on European law. He has developed the Alliance Defending Freedom allied attorney network in Europe, working with allies to litigate European cases that have a potential for impacting Alliance Defending Freedom efforts in America. Prior to joining Alliance Defending Freedom, Kiska served as legal counsel at the European Center for Law and Justice. After earning his J.D. at Ave Maria School of Law in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Kiska began his legal career in the Slovak Republic as an attorney with the firm of former Slovak Prime Minister Jan Carnogursky. He is admitted to the State Bar of Michigan and also passed the Solicitor’s Bar examinations for the United Kingdom. Kiska is fluent in English and Slovak.[4]
- Benjamin Bull, companies house (Dec.2015-Dec.2017), Global executive director, BuzzFeed 2014, International president,[3]
- Greg Scott, vice president of media communications, BuzzFeed 2014
- Piero Tozzi,[3]
- Erik Stanley,[3]
- Matt Sharp,[3]
- Caleb Dalton,[3]
- Ken Fletcher,[3]
- Douglas Wardlow,[3]
Misc
- Craig Osten, co-author of "The ACLU vs. America" w/Alan Sears,[3]
Articles
- May.03.2018: Amazon Gives ADF the Boot from Its AmazonSmile Program: Here’s What You Can Do. We cannot allow the slander of Christians to continue. ADF is committed to providing free legal defense for individuals facing punishment for living out their religious beliefs, but this is only possible through the support of people like you. You can help fight back against organizations like the SPLC – and defend your religious freedom – with a gift today. Sarah Kramer, ADF. See also Fox + Friends
- May.03.2018: How a ‘Far-Left Propaganda Machine’ Got a Respected Legal Group Expelled by Amazon. ... Alliance Defending Freedom from being banned from participating in AmazonSmile, which allows Amazon.com customers to contribute “0.5% of eligible purchases” to “almost one million eligible 501(c)(3) public charitable organizations.” The reason? Southern Poverty Law Center. Greg Scott, The Daily Signal.
- Jul.24.2017: Alliance Defending Freedom Through The Years. In 2016, the Southern Poverty Law Center added the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF; formerly Alliance Defense Fund until 2012) to its list of anti-LGBT hate groups. Hatewatch Staff, Southern Poverty Law Center.
- Nov.19.2014: This Right-Wing Legal Powerhouse Wants to Make Gay Sex Illegal. Few anti-LGBT groups get as much media attention as the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), the right-wing legal organization best known for defending anti-gay business owners who refuse to comply with nondiscrimination laws. But few media outlets have highlighted the most extreme facet of ADF’s legal agenda: criminalizing homosexuality. ADF actively works to promote and defend anti-sodomy laws that criminalize gay sex. ADF has largely run out of options for promoting the criminalization of homosexuality in America, so the group has taken its anti-sodomy agenda overseas. Jamaica (Andrea Minichiello Williams), Belize (LGBT rights in Belize § Church opposition to decriminalisation), India (LGBT rights in India § Law regarding same-sex sexual activity). Carlos Maza, HuffPost.
- May.01.2011: Christian Legal Centre fights more than 50 religious discrimination cases. The ADF, which according to filings had an income of almost $40m last year, is funded by prominent benefactors including Erik Prince, founder of the Blackwater private security giant, the Covenant Foundation, which is financed by a leading member of the Texas Christian right, James Leininger, and the Bolthouse Foundation, a charity that rejects evolution, insisting "man was created by a direct act of God in His image, not from previously existing creatures". The ADF has joined forces with the Christian Legal Centre and Christian Concern For Our Nation to launch the Wilberforce Academy in the UK, which aims to train delegates "for servant-hearted, Christ-centred leadership in public life" having equipped them "with a robust biblical framework that guides their thinking, prayers and activity in addressing the issues facing our society". Several of its delegates have already gone on to work for the legal centre and Christian Concern. The Guardian.
- Dec.01.2012: Alliance Defending Freedom honored with human dignity award. The Scandinavian Human Rights Committee has awarded Alliance Defending Freedom the 2012 Scandinavian Human Dignity Award, saying that "the organization has truly become a global force and a great Scandinavian partner". Rev Robert A Crutchfield, Faith Inspires blog.
- Jun.2004: The Alliance Defense Fund Agenda. ... The following year, Maddoux and five Religious Right colleagues made good on the promise, launching the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF). Now marking its 10-year anniversary, the organization hasn't quite "out-swamped" AU and the ACLU – but it has raised millions of dollars for Religious Right legal cases and been active in federal and state lawsuits that seek to blast holes in the wall of separation between church and state. ... Far from supporting religious liberty, the ADF champions the exact opposite: it was formed by a band of television preachers and radio broadcasters to advance the Religious Right's perspective in the courts. The ADF, watchdogs at Americans United say, champions a radical agenda to destroy the wall of separation between church and state. It even has close ties to the most extreme faction of the Religious Right – a movement that wants to create a harsh fundamentalist Christian theocracy in America. more Rob Boston, Church & State Magazine.
Affilated Organisations
References
- ^ Alliance Defending Freedom. Southern Poverty Law Centre. Accessed Apr.22.2018.
- ^ Christian Legal Centre fights more than 50 religious discrimination cases. The Guardian, May.01.2011.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Alliance Defending Freedom Through The Years. Hatewatch Staff, Southern Poverty Law Center, Jul.24.2017.
- ^ Alliance Defending Freedom honored with human dignity award. Rev Robert A Crutchfield, Faith Inspires blog, Dec.01.2012.