Freedom Updates
Press Releases
PRESS RELEASE | SEVEN AMICUS BRIEFS URGE SUPREME COURT TO TAKE CHURCH FINES CASE: STATE OF WEST VIRGINIA LEADS SUPPORT
ADVOCATES FOR FAITH & FREEDOM
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: TUESDAY, JANUARY 20, 2026
CONTACT: NICOLE VELASCO
media@FAITH-FREEDOM.COM
Washington D.C. — As Advocates for Faith & Freedom and the American Center for Law & Justice ask the United States Supreme Court to reverse California’s $3 million of fines and attorneys’ fees against Calvary Chapel San Jose for their religious worship, seven amicus curiae briefs have now been filed in support of position. The seven briefs urge the Court to take the case.
Most notably, the State of West Virginia, joined by 19 additional states, has stepped forward signaling the high stakes and national implications of our case. Our First Amendment freedoms hang in the balance, and our case demonstrates the real dangers of unchecked government power over the Church.
The amici make clear that this case reaches far beyond one congregation or one state. They warn that if massive financial penalties for worship are allowed to stand, government officials will be emboldened to use economic coercion to force churches into submission whenever an “emergency” is declared.
“This is not about pandemic policy. It is about whether the First Amendment has any force to protect a churches worship services when a government claims emergency powers,” said Robert Tyler, President and Chief Counsel for Advocates for Faith & Freedom. “A government that can fine a church into submission can silence any church.”
The briefs underscore that California defied Supreme Court precedent, imposed ruinous fines, and treated religious worship worse than comparable secular activity. Without Supreme Court intervention, that dangerous precedent will remain.
The Court will now decide whether it will step in to halt the weaponization of government power against churches and reaffirm that constitutional rights do not disappear in times of crisis.
###
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 | CALIFORNIA FINES CHURCH $1.2 MILLION FOR WORSHIP; NOW THE SUPREME COURT MUST DECIDE IF THE CONSTITUTION STILL STANDS
ADVOCATES FOR FAITH & FREEDOM
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: FRIDAY, December 12, 2025
CONTACT: NICOLE VELASCO
media@FAITH-FREEDOM.COM
Washington D.C. — Advocates for Faith & Freedom, in partnership with the American Center for Law & Justice, has filed a Petition for Writ of Certiorari asking the United States Supreme Court to overturn more than $1.2 million in fines imposed on Calvary Chapel San Jose and Pastor Mike McClure for the simple act of gathering to worship.
This case stands as one of the clearest examples of government overreach against a church in modern American history.
During COVID, California forced churches to close, restrict worship, and enforce mandates that violated Calvary Chapel’s sincerely held beliefs. At the very same time, the state allowed widespread exemptions for secular operations such as restaurants, athletic programs, and government offices.
Calvary Chapel chose obedience to Scripture over obedience to shifting political orders. The county retaliated with rapidly escalating fines that soared to $5,000 per day, ultimately exceeding $1.2 million, along with coercive demands for sworn compliance with orders later deemed unconstitutional.
In addition to the $1,228,700 judgment, Santa Clara County is seeking $1,098,244 in attorneys’ fees and $45,753 in costs, which remain stayed pending appeal. If imposed, the total financial burden on Calvary Chapel would exceed $2.37 million – a staggering sum designed to punish a church for worshipping God during a crisis.
The petition emphasizes that the Supreme Court has already ruled in Tandon v. Newsom that government cannot treat religious gatherings worse than comparable secular activities. California ignored that mandate and continued to target churches.
“Government officials may not weaponize emergencies to suspend the First Amendment,” said Erin Mersino, Vice President and Chief of Supreme Court and Appellate Litigation for Advocates for Faith & Freedom. “California imposed some of the most aggressive restrictions on churches in the country, and this case is about ensuring the government never does this again.”
The petition asks the Supreme Court to resolve four pressing constitutional issues:
-
Whether government may dictate the internal practices of worship.
-
Whether restrictions with secular exemptions must face strict scrutiny.
-
Whether massive financial penalties for worship violate the First Amendment.
-
Whether the Excessive Fines Clause protects churches from multi-million-dollar punishment.
“Freedom means nothing if the government can fine churches into submission,” said Joel Oster, Vice President and Chief of Trial Litigation for Advocates for Faith & Freedom. “If local officials can impose crushing penalties until churches surrender their constitutional rights, then those rights do not exist in any meaningful way.”
Although the pandemic has ended, the precedent remains. Without Supreme Court intervention, state and local officials will be free to target churches during any future emergency and punish ministries for simply remaining faithful.
Calvary Chapel opened its doors because God commanded them to gather. Now the Supreme Court must decide whether the government has the authority to punish a church for obedience to God.
###
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 | SUPREME COURT FORCES RECONSIDERATION OF NEW YORK’S DISCRIMINATORY VACCINE LAW IN LANDMARK RELIGIOUS LIBERTY CASE
ADVOCATES FOR FAITH & FREEDOM
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Tuesday, December 9, 2025
CONTACT: NICOLE VELASCO
media@FAITH-FREEDOM.COM
Washington D.C. — The Supreme Court has reversed the lower court’s decision that fined petitioners for living out their religious beliefs. The case returns to the lower court to reevaluate New York’s law under strengthened protections for religious believers, making clear that the government may not punish religious conviction while granting exemptions for secular purposes.
At the center of Miller v. McDonald are Amish families who have lived peacefully, faithfully, and separately from modern society for generations. New York eliminated its long-standing religious exemption to its school vaccination law and then openly mocked those who objected based on sincere religious convictions. Lawmakers referred to religious beliefs as “trash,” “fake,” and “heresy,” while Governor Kathy Hochul told a congregation that people with religious objections to vaccination “are not listening to God” and that their concerns are “not truth.”
Despite wiping out all religious exemptions, New York still allows secular medical exemptions and does not require teachers, staff, or other adults in the schools to be vaccinated. The result is a discriminatory law that targets children of faith while ignoring comparable secular risks. The Amish petitioners have already been hit with $118,000 in fines simply for obeying their conscience and honoring God.
Advocates for Faith & Freedom filed an amicus brief urging the Supreme Court to intervene and to restore the Free Exercise Clause to its rightful place at the heart of the First Amendment.
The Supreme Court’s action forces the lower court to reevaluate New York’s law under strengthened protections for religious believers, making clear that the government may not punish religious conviction while granting exemptions for secular purposes.
“Religious liberty is America’s first freedom because it safeguards every person’s right to honor God without fear of government coercion,” said Erin Mersino, Vice President and Chief of Supreme Court and Appellate Litigation at Advocates for Faith & Freedom. “The Supreme Court’s action is an important step toward stopping New York from penalizing the Amish community for their faith with crippling fines.”
This remand marks a pivotal moment in the national fight for religious liberty and has the potential to shape constitutional protections for generations to come. Advocates for Faith & Freedom will continue standing with the Amish families and every American who refuses to surrender their God-given freedoms to state power.
###
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.