Freedom Updates
Advocates in Action
PRESS RELEASE | ADVOCATES FOR FAITH & FREEDOM AND ACLJ TAKE CALVARY CHAPEL SAN JOSE CASE TO U.S. SUPREME COURT; CHALLENGE $1.2 MILLION IN COVID FINES
ADVOCATES FOR FAITH & FREEDOM
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2025
CONTACT: NICOLE VELASCO
MEDIA@FAITH-FREEDOM.COM
Murrieta, CA —Advocates for Faith & Freedom (AFF) has joined forces with the American Center for Law & Justice (ACLJ) to defend Calvary Chapel San Jose and Pastor Mike McClure in a landmark religious liberty case headed to the U.S. Supreme Court. The church faces more than $1.2 million in fines after continuing to worship during California’s COVID-19 restrictions.
In 2020, Governor Gavin Newsom and Santa Clara County imposed sweeping public-health orders that severely restricted religious gatherings, while granting broad exemptions for secular activities, including construction sites, restaurants, athletic programs, personal-care services, and government operations.
Calvary Chapel continued worship services and declined to enforce mask mandates that violated its sincerely held religious convictions. The county responded with rapidly escalating fines, doubling daily up to $5,000 per day, and demanded church leaders sign sworn statements promising compliance with orders later ruled unconstitutional.
“Government officials cannot weaponize emergencies to suspend constitutional rights,” said Erin Mersino, Vice President & Chief of Supreme Court and Appellate Litigation for AFF. “This case represents one of the most aggressive attacks on church autonomy and religious liberty in recent history. The Constitution does not evaporate in a crisis.”
The Supreme Court has repeatedly held, including in Tandon v. Newsom, that religious gatherings cannot be treated worse than comparable secular activities. The government’s selective exemptions for favored industries while crushing churches with fines violates this standard.
“Churches were punished while secular entities operated freely,” said Joel Oster, Vice President and Chief of Trial Litigation for AFF. “If government can impose crushing penalties until churches surrender constitutional freedoms, then those freedoms are meaningless.”
Though COVID restrictions have ended, the legal precedent would allow similar government overreach in future emergencies. Advocates for Faith & Freedom and ACLJ will file their petition for certiorari in the coming weeks.
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Advocates for Faith & Freedom is a non-profit law firm dedicated to protecting constitutional and religious liberty in the courts. Our mission is to engage in cases that will uphold our religious liberty and America’s heritage and to educate Americans about our fundamental constitutional rights.
PRESS RELEASE | CHRISTIAN SCHOOL AIDE WINS SETTLEMENT AFTER BEING PUNISHED FOR TRUMP BACKPACK AND FAITH-BASED EXPRESSION
ADVOCATES FOR FAITH & FREEDOM
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: TUESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2025
CONTACT: NICOLE VELASCO
MEDIA@FAITH-FREEDOM.COM
Murrieta, CA —Advocates for Faith & Freedom announced today a decisive settlement victory on behalf of Alyssa Esquivel, a Christian American Sign Language aide who was unlawfully targeted, silenced, and terminated by the San Gabriel Unified School District after colleagues and administrators objected to her faith and political expression.
As part of the settlement, the District agreed to compensate Esquivel monetary damages, attorneys’ fees, and to completely clear Esquivel’s termination records. Though she has already moved on to a better position, this resolution is a full vindication of her name.
Esquivel was targeted after coworkers mocked her Christian faith and demanded she hide her Trump-themed backpack and water bottle—going so far as to flip over a desk in outrage. Instead of disciplining the disruptive staff, school officials retaliated against Esquivel. She was escorted off campus by police and suspended without pay and eventually terminated, despite an unblemished record of service to deaf students who depended on her expertise.
Her lawsuit, filed by Advocates for Faith & Freedom, exposed the District’s violation of the First Amendment, Title VII, and California law, detailing how Esquivel was punished simply for being a Christian and expressing her beliefs. The settlement forces the District to compensate Esquivel and wipe away all termination records, ensuring her professional reputation remains intact.
“This is more than a legal win, it’s a cultural stand,” said Julianne Fleischer, Senior Counsel for Advocates for Faith & Freedom. “Public schools cannot bully employees into silence because they dare to express their faith or conservative values. Alyssa’s victory affirms that faith and free speech still have a place in the public square.”
Esquivel also emphasized: “First and foremost, I give all honor and glory to God. I am grateful to Advocates for Faith & Freedom for being a voice for justice. I stood firm because my faith and convictions are worth more than a paycheck, and I hope my case inspires others facing similar violations of their rights to take a bold stand.”
Advocates for Faith & Freedom emphasized that this case is part of a broader battle to defend free speech, religious liberty, and the right of Americans to live out their convictions without government retaliation.
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Advocates for Faith & Freedom is a non-profit law firm dedicated to protecting constitutional and religious liberty in the courts. Our mission is to engage in cases that will uphold our religious liberty and America’s heritage and to educate Americans about our fundamental constitutional rights.
PRESS RELEASE | JOINT BRIEF ASKS SUPREME COURT TO HALT SCHOOL SECRECY ON CHILDREN’S GENDER TRANSITIONS
ADVOCATES FOR FAITH & FREEDOM
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2025
CONTACT: NICOLE VELASCO
MEDIA@FAITH-FREEDOM.COM
Washington, D.C.— Advocates for Faith & Freedom, in partnership with NC Values Institute, has filed an amicus curiae brief urging the United States Supreme Court to take up Littlejohn v. School Board of Leon County, Florida. At issue is the Leon County School Board’s “Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Gender Nonconforming and Questioning Support Guide,” which directs school staff to use a child’s chosen name and pronouns without parental knowledge or consent—and, in some cases, to conceal such information from parents.
The brief argues that this policy intrudes on parents’ right to direct the upbringing of their children, compels speech on a deeply contested issue, and imposes an unconstitutional orthodoxy in public schools. The Eleventh Circuit’s use of a vague “shocks-the-conscience” test effectively stripped parents of their ability to defend their rights, a dangerous precedent that endangers free speech, religious liberty, and the foundational role of the family.
“Parents do not surrender their God-given and constitutional rights at the schoolhouse door,” said Robert Tyler, President and Chief Counsel of Advocates for Faith & Freedom. “Schools cannot secretly facilitate a child’s gender transition while deceiving parents. The Constitution safeguards the right of mothers and fathers, not government bureaucrats, to guide their children’s upbringing.”
The brief underscores that compelled speech in schools—such as forcing students, teachers, and parents to use pronouns or affirm gender ideology against their beliefs—violates the First Amendment’s protection of conscience and free expression. As the filing warns, policies that mandate ideological conformity not only trample religious liberty but also attack the very dignity of those who disagree.
Julianne Fleischer, Senior Legal Counsel of Advocates for Faith and Freedom, added: “This case is about restoring common sense and reaffirming parental authority. No government entity has the right to replace parents or compel citizens to embrace a state-imposed ideology. The Court must act to defend the rights of parents and the freedoms of all Americans.”
Advocates for Faith & Freedom and NC Values Institute are standing together to ensure that the Supreme Court recognizes the urgency of protecting parental rights, free speech, and religious freedom against the rising tide of government overreach in education.
Full brief can be viewed here.
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Advocates for Faith & Freedom is a non-profit law firm dedicated to protecting constitutional and religious liberty in the courts. Our mission is to engage in cases that will uphold our religious liberty and America’s heritage and to educate Americans about our fundamental constitutional rights.