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Our Nation’s first Thanksgiving occurred in 1789.  Of significance, the first act after the Founding Fathers framed the Bill of Rights, which prohibited the establishment of religion, was to pass a resolution thanking “Almighty God” for their many blessings he had poured down upon them.  Accordingly, they requested President George Washington to announce a “Day of Public Thanksgiving and Prayer.”  Washington enthusiastically agreed.  Below is the first federal Thanksgiving proclamation issued by President Washington.

Happy Thanksgiving from the staff of the Thomas More Law Center

Richard Thompson

General Thanksgiving

By the PRESIDENT of the United States Of America

A PROCLAMATION – 1789

WHEREAS it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favour; and Whereas both Houses of Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me “to recommend to the people of the United States a DAY OF PUBLICK THANKSGIVING and PRAYER, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness:”

NOW THEREFORE, I do recommend and assign THURSDAY, the TWENTY-SIXTH DAY of NOVEMBER next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be; that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country previous to their becoming a nation; for the signal and manifold mercies and the favorable interpositions of His providence in the course and conclusion of the late war; for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty which we have since enjoyed;– for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enable to establish Constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national one now lately instituted;– for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge;– and, in general, for all the great and various favours which He has been pleased to confer upon us.

And also, that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech Him to pardon our national and other transgressions;– to enable us all, whether in publick or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually; to render our National Government a blessing to all the people by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed; to protect and guide all sovereigns and nations (especially such as have shewn kindness unto us); and to bless them with good governments, peace, and concord; to promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and us; and, generally to grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as he alone knows to be best.

GIVEN under my hand, at the city of New-York, the third day of October, in the year of our Lord, one thousand seven hundred and eighty-nine.
(signed) G. Washington

Dear TMLC Friends and Supporters:

Sunday we commemorate with solemn pride Veterans Day!  We honor and remember the contribution and sacrifice of all veterans wherever and whenever they served.

From Lexington and Valley Forge to Normandy, Korea, and Vietnam, —and now to Iraq and Afghanistan—America’s military forces have fought for freedom in defense of our great Nation.  Veterans Day is not only a time to remember the heroic sacrifices of our military throughout our nation’s history, but also to remember the heroic sacrifices our men and women are making today in Afghanistan—and in places yet unknown.

Let us take time to pray for our troops who have died in battle, and for their loved ones who still mourn their great loss.  Let us also pray for our troops who remain in harm’s way today.

Their willingness to serve allows us to live freely, enjoying the abundances and splendor of America.

It is appropriate on this Veterans Day to remember the statement contained in a December 4, 1788 letter from Thomas Jefferson to George Washington.  It is embossed over the staircase of the Jefferson Library at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.

“The power of making war often prevents it and in our case would give efficacy to our desire for peace.”

God bless our veterans and God bless America.

Sincerely yours,

President and Chief Counsel
Thomas More Law Center

Watch a Moving Video of American Veterans who fought for OUR freedom!

ANN ARBOR, MI – Federal District Court Judge Robert H. Cleland of the Eastern District of Michigan, issued an opinion yesterday evening granting a motion for Preliminary Injunction that effectively halts enforcement of the HHS mandate against Plaintiffs Weingartz Supply Company and its owner and president, Daniel Weingartz. The motion was brought by the Thomas More Law Center (TMLC), a national public interest law firm based in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Erin Mersino, TMLC’s lead counsel on the case who presented the oral argument in support of Plaintiffs, commented,   “The federal court has found that our clients have a likelihood of success and would be irreparably harmed by the unconstitutional overreaching of the HHS mandate.  This is not only a victory for our clients, but for religious freedom.”

The HHS mandate refers to regulations adopted by the Department of Health and Human Services that forces employers, regardless of their religious convictions, to provide insurance coverage for abortion-inducing drugs, sterilization, and contraception under threat of heavy penalties.

In ruling for the Weingartz Plaintiffs, Judge Cleland emphasized that “[t]he loss of First Amendment freedoms, for even minimal periods of time, unquestionably constitutes irreparable injury.”  He concluded, “The harm in delaying the implementation of a statute that may later be deemed constitutional must yield to the risk presented here of substantially infringing the sincere exercise of religious beliefs.  The balance of harms tips strongly in Plaintiffs’ favor.  A preliminary injunction is warranted.”

Judge Cleland denied without prejudice the motion brought on behalf of Legatus for reasons stated below.

Click here to read Judge Cleland’s entire opinion.

On May 6, 2012, TMLC, filed a federal lawsuit challenging the HHS mandate on behalf of Legatus, the Nation’s largest organization of top Catholic business owners and CEOs, and the Michigan-based Weingartz Supply Company and its president Daniel Weingartz.

The motion for Preliminary Injunction on behalf of Plaintiffs was filed on August 15, 2012.   Judge Cleland heard oral arguments on the motion on September 28, 2012.

Named as defendants in TMLC’s lawsuit were Obama administration officials responsible for implementation of the HHS mandate promulgated under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Obamacare).  Included were: Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services; Hilda Solis, Secretary of the Department of Labor; Timothy Geithner, Secretary of the Department of Treasury; and their respective departments.

Judge Cleland reiterated in his written opinion what he told both sides at the beginning of the oral augments on September 28th, namely, whatever ruling he grants, the case will continue to be litigated.

Judge Cleland denied the motion for preliminary injunction on behalf of Legatus without prejudice on the grounds that he is not persuaded that Legatus has standing to bring its claim at this time.  He cited recent cases where other courts deciding the identical issue found that non-profit organizations protected under the safe harbor do not have standing because their injury is conjectural.  The Government has represented that the HHS mandate regulations are being amended to accommodate the religious liberty concerns of non-profit organizations like Legatus.

Importantly, Judge Cleland noted that in the event the Government acts in a way inimical to the rights Legatus seeks to protect, Legatus can again approach the court with its concerns at that time.

Moreover, Judge Cleland directed the government to file a brief statement describing the status of the amendment process for final regulations occurring under the temporary enforcement safe harbor not later than the first Monday of each month.

TMLC’s lawsuit challenges the constitutionality of the HHS Mandate under the First Amendment, specifically the Free Exercise of Religion and Free Speech clauses.   It also claims that the HHS Mandate violates the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993 and the Administrative Procedure Act.

Although several cases across the country challenging the constitutionality of the HHS mandate have been dismissed by federal courts on technical grounds, Judge Cleland is the second federal judge to grant a motion for preliminary injunction.