Jay Sekulow Victory for Religious Freedom

In an unanimous decision, the Supreme Court today issued an important decision representing a tremendous victory for religious freedom.

The high court concluded that courts should not intervene in the workings of churches. The Justices determined that the First Amendment protects the ability of churches and church schools to select their ministerial employees without government intrusion.

Here’s the background: The case involved a religiously commissioned teacher who taught in a Missouri Synod Lutheran school but was fired after she became confrontational with the school administration. The federal EEOC and the teacher herself teamed up to sue the church, claiming the church “retaliated” against her for threatening to sue over a medical disability.

A federal district court threw the case out on the grounds that the so-called “ministerial exception” to employment laws barred court review of the retaliation claim. But a federal appeals court reinstated the lawsuit, reasoning that the teacher’s religious role and duties were outweighed by her instruction of the students in secular subjects.

The Supreme Court today overturned that appeals court decision. The Court concluded that both the Free Exercise Clause and the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment protects the freedom of churches to select religiously commissioned teachers for their religious grade schools.

In its opinion, the high court concluded: “The interest of society in the enforcement of employment discrimination statutes is undoubtedly important,” said Chief Justice John Roberts. “But so too is the interest of religious groups in choosing who will preach their beliefs, teach their faith, and carry out their mission.”

“When a minister who has been fired sues her church alleging that her termination was discriminatory, the First Amendment has struck the balance for us. The church must be free to choose those who will guide its way,” Roberts added.

We filed an amicus brief in this case on behalf of itself and the InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA.

This decision by the Court will generate a lot of interest and analysis. The fact that the Court was unanimous in this decision underlines how an essential part of religious liberty is the principle that churches and synagogues get to select their religion teachers.

Government has no business deciding who should or should not carry out religious ministry, and we’re delighted the high court reached that conclusion.

About Jay Sekulow

Jay Sekulow is Chief Counsel of the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), one of the most prestigious law firms in the country. He is an accomplished Supreme Court advocate, renowned expert on religious liberty, and a respected broadcaster. Jay Sekulow is an attorney with a passion for protecting religious liberty - freedom - democracy.

The League of an Inspirational Attorney - Jay Sekulow

Jay A. Sekulow, is regarded as one of the countries best attorneys, and is the Chief Counsel of the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ). Over the years He has shown his expertise in the field of ‘Religious Liberty’.

To enlighten his virtues, we need to go back to the year 1987 when he was first defending The Jews for Jesus, in their pursuit against The Los Angeles International Airport Authority’s policy (against free speech).

Jay Sekulow also took the case of two high-school students who were denied the opportunity to form a Bible and Prayer group in their school, in both the cases; he brought victory and joy to the lives of thousands of people.

It is clear that Mr. Sekulow fights more for justice than anybody else, His unparalleled zest and belief in the nation’s law-system makes it possible for him to fight for the right cause and freedom.

Generally, we always measure a person’s success and influence in the field by looking at the kind of awards, and Jay Sekulow has won several accolades and awards over a long period of his successful career, and his work achievements speak volume of his undeniable talent.

Jay A. Sekulow has been listed in the top 90 Greatest Washington lawyers of the last 30 years by the Legal Times. He was named to the American Lawyer’s Public Sector 45 in 1997, where the respective sector includes all the influential public servants in the country who have made a positive impact in their areas of expertise.

Jay Sekulow also hosts a radio talk show daily (Jay Sekulow Live!), which is aired on 850 radio broadcasting channels across the entire nation. He discusses about the current legislative battles going around in the country. He stands for something, which goes beyond what is commonly known as a ‘social service sector’.

An Evangelist, An Attorney - Jay Sekulow stands for Religious Liberty

Jay Sekulow is the chief counsel of The American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) and a successful Supreme Court advocate who has defended many cases with successful outcomes. As a lively host of a call-in radio show and a television program, Jay provides valuable insight and education to people on matters concerning religious equality in America and the World. His hard work and dedication has made him one of the most successful evangelists who have touched millions of lives.

Jay started his quest to defend religious liberty as well as constitutional freedom through the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) and soon, had international presence with its centers in France, Russia, Kenya, Pakistan, Israel and Zimbabwe.

His accomplishments include his efforts for Israel to tide over the Gaza crisis, with creation of a legal team to defend the interest of national security of Israel in front of the International Criminal Court at Hague. As a prolific attorney, Jay Sekulow’s undertakings have been rewarded with eminent recognitions such as the National Law Journal which named him one of the 100 most influential lawyers in America and Town hall magazine has named him as “one of the top lawyers for religious freedom in the United States."

He is involved in defending many cases on behalf of The American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), a recent case involves an appeal against President Barrack Obama’s healthcare law, which requires every American to buy health care insurance.

Jay Sekulow was born in Brooklyn, graduated from the Mercer University and has a PhD from Regent University, with humble beginnings as a tax trial attorney in the office of the chief counsel of the Internal Revenue Service.
He married Pamela in 1978, and has two sons Jordan and Logan from his marriage.

Wisdom and Virtues of Jay Sekulow

Jay Sekulow was born on June 10, 1956 in Brooklyn, New York and in the Jewish faith. But Jay converted to Christianity when he got older. He graduated from Mercer University with a Bachelor’s degree and then he completed his Doctorate in Jurisprudence. As a part of his extensive understanding of law and justice, Mr. Sekulow did a Ph.D. in American Legal History.

The studies and specialization related to the legal issues, constitutional rights and religious freedom inculcated wisdom and foresightedness in Jay Sekulow.

To sharpen his skills and direct his thoughts for the betterment of humanity, Mr. Sekulow started his career in the Office of Chief Counsel for the Internal Revenue Service as a Tax trial attorney, to bring in the cases on behalf of the United States Department of Treasury in the United States Tax Court.

Mr. Sekulow’s progressive career brought many responsibilities for him as the Director for the American Center of Law and Justice (ACLJ) in the year 1991.

Since then, he is continuously serving the organization ACLJ with his noble thoughts and stronger determination as a Chief Counsel. In his endeavor for enlightening the minds of people about the true meaning of freedom and righteousness, Mr. Sekulow is determinant in spreading awareness about equality, non-discrimination, religious liberty, freedom and constitutional rights.

For many, Jay Sekulow is a man of revolutionary wisdom and great virtues because he has defended many cases related to freedom, right to speech and First Amendment issues in the United States Supreme Court. Most of the cases resulted in a successful judgment that honored him several times through his career.

In the year 1994, his name was listed among some of the most distinguished lawyers in America on the Power List of The National Law Journal.

For his selfless dedication and efforts towards the mankind, he was included in the American Lawyer’s Public Sector 45 list as a most dedicated legal public servant.

In another listing, The National Law Journal added his name to the top 100 Most Influential Lawyers in America and recently, he was embellished as one of the 90 Greatest Washington Lawyers in the United States of America of the last 30 years.

Jay Sekulow insist on Religious and Constitutional Freedom

Religion plays an important role in drafting history of a Country and about its people. Be it due to fear or respect, people tend to follow rules & guidelines set by a religion and in times of adversity, they offer prayers to set things right. Thus, right to speech and preach your religion is one of the important rights offered to the citizens of any country. Jay Sekulow, the defender and follower of such rights is a noble and humble person who has devoted his life in the service of humankind.

According to Mr. Sekulow and American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) - “Sept. 11, 2001 will be remembered in history not only as a horrible act of terrorism on the lands of United States, but also a time when Americans sacrificed their lives for others, a time when they stood together, unified and resilient.” To prove it true, every year thousands of people assemble at Ground zero to offer prayers in order to bring comfort and solace to humanity as a whole. It is natural that if something good or bad happens in any part of the world, it surely affects the rest of the world.

Mr. Sekulow has argued many cases in respect to religious liberty and constitutional freedom. The most significant case he handled in Supreme Court was that of few students who want to have a Bible club in high school. He defended their case successfully that resulted in winning the permission to form a club.

The growing phenomenon of critical issues involving life and religious freedom that was prevailing in Europe can have adverse effects on US constitution also. Thus to safeguard the interest of the people at both the locations, Mr. Sekulow and ACLJ set their office in France as European Court of Human Rights, so as to handle the cases related to people of Europe there and then without mixing them with the cases of US.

Jay Sekulow believes that rights and duties are like hand and glove with each other, but the common man is neither aware of his rights nor of his duties. Thus to educate them and to make them aware of their rights and duties, he became a presenter in a weekly radio show and accept guest requests from various TV programs.

Where there is a Will there is a Way, proves Jay Sekulow

Jay Sekulow, a man with a bulls-eye focus and aggressive strategies has countless rewards and accomplishments that were achieved for defending religious liberties and constitutional rights in the United States of America. For more than two decades in the lawful profession, Mr. Sekulow has victoriously argued on many occasions before the Supreme Court of the United States.

His litigation tactics and the knowledge of law & justice are the greatest resource of enlightenment for the next generation advocates, defending religious liberties and constitutional freedom. Out of the many cases that he has defended, there were many that brought attention and recognition in favor for all his great work and efforts.

Some of the most prominent cases defended by Jay Sekulow in his career are-

• The right of religious groups to pass out tracks in airports was disciplined as his first successful case before the Supreme Court.
• For protecting the right of high school students to form Bible clubs and prayer groups in public school campuses
• For providing the access to utilize public facilities equally by the churches and the other permitted groups
• In defending the freedom of speech rights of pro-life advocates to be free from criminal prosecution for conveying their pro-life message
• For protecting the right of the younger generation to be engaged in the political system by donating to the campaign of their choice
• To display the Ten Commandments monuments and other monuments in public parks

The American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), a law firm and educational organization specializing in constitutional law as well as the European Center for Law and Justice (ECLJ) have a reputed and respected judicial advocate Jay Sekulow as their Chief Counsel.

Jay Alan Sekulow and the firm ACLJ work with Members of Congress to advise them on proposed legislation and represent them in crucial legal matters. Being a successful Supreme Court advocate, Jay Sekulow is a highly appreciated broadcaster and the host of Jay Sekulow Live! that broadcasts on more than 850 radio stations nationwide on weekdays. Through his national call-in radio program, he brings to his listeners the insights and the importance of constitutional rights and freedom.

Jay Sekulow: UPDATE – ObamaCare Opposition Growing

The response has been overwhelming. In the first 24 hours after the Supreme Court announced it would determine the constitutionality of ObamaCare, nearly 40,000 Americans expressed their opposition to this flawed law and signed on to our upcoming amicus briefs urging the Justices to declare the entire law unconstitutional. That number continues to grow.

This is just the beginning. We know many more Americans want to be a part of this historic challenge at the high court. If you haven’t done so yet, please add your name here.

We knew that this issue would generate a lot of media attention, both online and television interviews. I discussed the ObamaCare challenges at length today on The 700 Club and on FOX News, which you can view here:
                               

Our position is very clear: the entire law – including the individual mandate, which forces Americans to purchase health insurance or face a penalty – must go. This is an unprecedented power grab by Congress – an unconstitutional requirement that forces Americans to purchase something – in this case, health insurance.

When the Supreme Court hears more than 5 hours of oral argument, every single issue involving ObamaCare will be front-and-center. The high court will consider every aspect of this law. You can read an in-depth analysis of the issues before the Court here.
The fact is this individual mandate translates to a cost of citizenship in the United States. Either you purchase what the government tells you to, or you face severe penalties imposed by the Internal Revenue Service. The question comes down to this, as I told NBC News, if we allow Congress to have the authority here, where does it stop?

The Wall Street Journal editorial page put this challenge into the proper prospective.

“The law is already speeding the ruin of U.S. health care, increasing costs and reducing competition. It is easily the most unpopular major reform in decades and the most unpopular entitlement expansion ever. More broadly, it is impossible to duck the matter of whether this law’s powers would stop at health care, as its backers insist, or whether it will be merely the first wave of other such mandated enforcements, if the federal government is given the power to compel individuals to participate in commerce, rather than merely regulate it.”

In addition to the thousands of Americans who will join with us in filing briefs challenging ObamaCare, we will represent more than 100 members of Congress who are opposed to this measure being enacted.

About Jay Sekulow

Jay Sekulow is Chief Counsel of the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), one of the most prestigious law firms in the country. He is an accomplished Supreme Court advocate, renowned expert on religious liberty, and a respected broadcaster. Jay Sekulow is an attorney with a passion for protecting religious liberty - freedom - democracy.