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Congresswoman Michele Bachmann Joins the Thomas More Law Center’s Citizens Advisory Board

August 2, 2012 by

ANN ARBOR, MI – The Thomas More Law Center, a national public interest law firm based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, today announced that Congresswomen Michele Bachmann (R- MN) has agreed to serve on the Law Center’s Citizens Advisory Board.

In accepting service on the Advisory Board, Congresswoman Bachmann stated, “I am pleased to join forces with the Thomas More Law Center. They are in the courts aggressively fighting the internal threat to America posed by radical Islam.”

Congresswoman Bachmann is a member of the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. As a member of that Committee, she has steadfastly advocated for peace through strength to ensure America’s national security.

Richard Thompson, President and Chief Counsel of the Thomas More Law Center, commented, “We are honored to have the counsel of a tough, tested, true American patriot; a person who puts her country above politics, party and political correctness. She understands and shares our concerns about the internal threat to our nation posed by Stealth Jihad as well as maintaining the Judeo-Christian values that made this nation ‘the shining city on the hill.”

Michele Bachmann is the mother of five and the foster mother of 23. As a believer in the traditional values upon which this country was founded, she consistently defends traditional marriage, the importance of the family as the first unit of government, and the right to life for all Americans, including the unborn.

Bachmann expressed her strong commitment to America’s Judeo-Christian heritage and values: “I am honored to stand with the Thomas More Law Center as they engage in the legal battles to uphold the Judeo-Christian values upon which our country was founded.”

Congresswoman Michele Bachmann, a self proclaimed “Constitutional Conservative,” was first elected to the U.S. House of Representative in 2006. Bachmann established the Tea Party Caucus in July 2010.

Prior to serving in the U.S. Congress, Bachmann served in the Minnesota State Senate from 2000-2006.

The Thomas More Law Center defends and promotes America’s Judeo-Christian heritage and moral values. It supports a strong national defense and an independent and sovereign United States of America. The Law Center accomplishes its mission through litigation, education, and related activities. It does not charge for its services. The Law Center is supported by contributions from individuals, corporations and foundations, and is recognized by the IRS as a section 501(c)(3) organization. You may reach the Thomas More Law Center at (734) 827-2001 or visit our website at www.thomasmore.org.

Court Asked to Immediately Stop the HHS Mandate By Nation’s Largest Organization of Catholic Business Leaders

July 25, 2012 by

ANN ARBOR, MI – The Thomas More Law Center, a national public interest law firm based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, today announced it has filed an emergency motion asking that Federal District Judge Robert H. Cleland of the Eastern District of Michigan stop the HHS Mandate which goes into effect on August 1, 2012. The motion was filed late yesterday afternoon.

The backdrop for the Law Center’s motion for a Temporary Restraining Order is one of the U.S. Supreme Court’s greatest statements on our fundamental rights recognized by the Bill of Rights: “If there is any fixed star in our constitutional constellation, it is that no official, high or petty, can prescribe what shall be orthodox in politics, nationalism, religion, or other matters of opinion or force citizens to confess by word or act their faith therein.”

[Click here to read entire motion]

Thomas More Law Center attorney, Erin Mersino, is the lead counsel in the lawsuit. Joining as co-counsel is Charles LiMandri, the Law Center’s West Coast Regional Director.

Mersino stated, “We have asked Judge Cleland to set a court hearing on our motion for the earliest possible time to prevent immediate injury to our clients’ right of conscience. Without the Court’s intervention, the HHS mandate effectively penalizes their free exercise of religion.”

The Thomas More Law Center filed its federal lawsuit on May 6, 2012 against the Obama administration on behalf of Legatus, the Nation’s largest organization of top Catholic business leaders, and the Ann Arbor-based Weingartz Supply Company, and its president Daniel Weingartz, also a member of Legatus.

The purpose of the lawsuit is to permanently block the implementation of the HHS Mandate which requires employers and individuals to obtain insurance coverage for abortions and contraception on the grounds that it imposes clear violations of conscience on Americans who morally object to abortion and contraception.

The lawsuit challenges the constitutionality of the HHS Mandate under the First Amendment rights to the Free Exercise of Religion and Free Speech and the Establishment Clause. It also claims that the HHS Mandate violates the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993 and the Administrative Procedure Act.

Richard Thompson, President and Chief Counsel of the Thomas More Law Center commented, “The Obama administration deliberately declared war on the Catholic Church by promulgating the HHS Mandate. And contrary to what they want you to believe, this case is not about contraception. It is about the religious freedom of Christians, in this case Catholics, to peaceably practice their faith free from government coercion. If the government succeeds in this case, the religious freedom of all Christians is in danger.”

The motion for a temporary restraining order focuses on violations of the Plaintiffs’ rights guaranteed by the First Amendment and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993.

“Legatus” is the Latin word for “ambassador”, and its members are called upon to become “ambassadors for Christ” in living and sharing their Catholic Faith in their business, professional and personal lives. It currently has over 4,000 members in 73 chapters located in 31 states. It was founded in 1987 by Tom Monaghan, the former owner of Domino’s Pizza, to bring together the three key areas of a Catholic business leader’s life – Faith, Family and Business.

Named as Defendants in the lawsuit are Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of the of the Department of Health and Human Services; Hilda Solis, Secretary of the Department of Labor; Timothy Geithner, Secretary of the Department of the Treasury; and their respective departments.

Court Asked to Immediately Stop the HHS Mandate By Nation’s Largest Organization of Catholic Business Leaders

July 25, 2012 by

The backdrop for the Law Center’s motion for a Temporary Restraining Order is one of the U.S. Supreme Court’s greatest statements on our fundamental rights recognized by the Bill of Rights: “If there is any fixed star in our constitutional constellation, it is that no official, high or petty, can prescribe what shall be orthodox in politics, nationalism, religion, or other matters of opinion or force citizens to confess by word or act their faith therein.”

[Click here to read entire motion]

Thomas More Law Center attorney, Erin Mersino, is the lead counsel in the lawsuit. Joining as co-counsel is Charles LiMandri, the Law Center’s West Coast Regional Director.

The motion for a temporary restraining order focuses on violations of the Plaintiffs’ rights guaranteed by the First Amendment and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993.

The Thomas More Law Center defends and promotes America’s Judeo- Christian heritage and moral values, as well as a strong national defense and an independent and sovereign United States of America. The Law Center accomplishes its mission through litigation, education, and related activities. It does not charge for its services. The Law Center is supported by contributions from individuals, corporations and foundations, and is recognized by the IRS as a section 501(c)(3) organization. You may reach the Thomas More Law Center at (734) 827-2001 or visit our website at www.thomasmore.org.

Cardinal Dolan Announces His Support of Thomas More Law Center Lawsuit Challenging HHS Mandate on Behalf of Legatus

July 12, 2012 by

ANN ARBOR, MI – In a letter dated June 21, 2012, the Archbishop of New York, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, expressed his support of the Thomas More Law Center’s federal lawsuit on behalf of Legatus challenging the HHS Mandate.

The Cardinal wrote:

“I am especially encouraged to hear of your efforts to pursue litigation through the Thomas More Law Center. Your particular voice in defense of the business owner is a unique and important part of the efforts to defend long-held rights of conscience for institutions and individuals.” (See entire letter here.)

The Thomas More Law Center, a national public interest law firm based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, filed the federal lawsuit on May 7, 2012, challenging the HHS mandate on behalf of Legatus, the Nation’s largest organization of top Catholic business CEOs and professional leaders.

Also joining in the lawsuit as Plaintiffs are the Weingartz Supply Company, a Michigan retailer since 1945, and its President who is a member of Legatus. The 42-page Complaint against the Obama administration was filed in the Federal District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan.

The purpose of the lawsuit is to permanently block the implementation of the HHS Mandate requiring employers and individuals to obtain insurance coverage for abortions and contraception on the grounds that it imposes clear violations of conscience on Americans who morally object to abortion and contraception.

The lawsuit challenges the constitutionality of the HHS Mandate under the First Amendment rights to the Free Exercise of Religion, Free Speech, and the Establishment Clause. It also claims that the HHS Mandate violates the Religious Freedom Restoration Act and the Administrative Procedure Act.

Thomas More Law Center attorney, Erin Mersino, is the lead counsel in the lawsuit. Joining as co-counsel is the Law Office of Charles LiMandri, the Law Center’s West Coast Regional Director and a member of Legatus.

From the Desk of Richard Thompson: TMLC Commemorates America’s Independence Day

July 12, 2012 by

As we celebrate our nation’s birthday, it is fitting to reflect on the constitution that guides our democracy, and to appreciate the role ‘of the people’ in protecting and sustaining it.

Abraham Lincoln said, “As the patriots of seventy-six did to the support of the Declaration of Independence, so to the support of the Constitution and laws let every American pledge his life, his property, and his sacred honor — let every man remember that to violate the law is to trample on the blood of his father, and to tear the charter of his own and his children’s liberty..”

As we observe Independence Day with family and friends, please remember and thank our Nation’s defenders. Freedom isn’t free. Our liberty was purchased through their sacrifices and the sacrifices of our Founding Fathers. The 4th of July is a time to remember and honor the sacrifices of all our fighting men and women.

I want to take this time to remember the sacrifice made by LtCol Jeffrey Chessani, USMC, who the Thomas More Law Center was privileged to defend against politically motivated criminal charges. LtCol Chessani honorably served three tours of duty in Iraq and was considered one of our Nation’s most effective combat commanders. Yet he was made a political scapegoat to appease anti-war politicians.

We also remember the sacrifices of Captain Michael Martino, USMC, and Major Gerald Bloomfield, USMC, who died in Iraq in defense of our country. Their sacrifices are memorialized at the foot of the Mt. Soledad Cross, which the Law Center continues to defend today, against attacks by the ACLU.

Our dearly bought liberty is now in danger from enemies within our gates as well as from abroad. Today, America stands alone as the last great Civilization. This is a time for Patriotic Americans to take action.

In the words of President George Washington, “The preservation of the sacred fire of liberty, and the destiny of the Republican model of Government, are justly considered as deeply, perhaps as finally staked, on the experiment entrusted to the hands of the American people.”

Best wishes for a safe and happy Independence Day. May God continue to bless America!

Sincerely yours,

President & Chief Counsel
Thomas More Law Center

U.S. Supreme Court Hands Obama Administration Political Loss – Upholds Controversial Provision of Arizona’s Immigration Law

June 25, 2012 by

ANN ARBOR, MI – The U.S. Supreme Court announced its decision today in the highly contested case of Arizona et al. v. United States, in which the Obama Administration fought to strike all provisions of Arizona’s strict immigration law. Although siding with the Federal government on some of the provisions of Arizona’s law, the Supreme Court handed the Obama administration a political loss by upholding Section 2(B), the most controversial provision of Arizona’s law.

The Supreme Court ruled that Section 2(B) of Arizona’s law that requires police officers to check the immigration status of all individuals legally detained on other crimes before being released, is constitutional. This provision was attacked by both President Obama and Attorney General Holder in public statements claiming racial profiling immediately after Arizona’s law was enacted. The Court ruled that the remaining provisions of Arizona’s law were unconstitutional, because they were preempted by Federal law already on the books. Click here to read the Supreme Court’s decision.

The Thomas More Law Center has been fighting in support of Arizona’s strict immigration regulations since SB1070 was passed. The Law Center submitted amicus briefs both in the Ninth Circuit and before the Supreme Court arguing that Section 2(B) of Arizona’s immigration law was not pre-empted by federal law – the position unanimously adopted by the Supreme Court. The Thomas More Law Center argued that the upheld provision fell within Arizona’s state policing powers. Click here to read the Thomas More Law Center’s Brief to the Supreme Court.