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ANN ARBOR, MI – The Thomas More Law Center, a national public interest law firm based in Ann Arbor, Michigan announced today that a federal lawsuit has been filed against a Dearborn, Michigan high school, Fordson High School, and its Muslim principal, Imad Fadlallah, over the firing of Gerald Marszalek because of Marszalek’s connection to a Christian volunteer coach.

Marszalek, who had coached wrestling for 35 years, had achieved a legendary status in the wrestling community.  Earning more that 450 wins, and sending numerous wrestlers to various collegiate programs, he was elected to the Michigan High School Athletic Association Hall of Fame, named “Sportsman of the Year” by the All-American Athletic Association.  Marszalek’s contract was not renewed because of his association with a Christian volunteer coach, Trey Hancock, who the principal accused of converting a Muslim student to Christianity during a summer camp not connected with the school or Coach Marszalek.

The lawsuit was filed by the Thomas More Law Center, and a private litigation firm of Cummings, McClorey, Davis & Acho, P.L.C. located in Livonia, Michigan. [Read Complaint here.]

Richard Thompson, President and Chief Counsel of the Thomas More Law Center commented, “We are getting a glimpse of what happens when Muslims who refuse to accept American values and principles gain political power in an American community.  Failure to renew coach Marszalek’s contract had nothing to do with wrestling and everything to do with religion.”

The city of Dearborn is one of the most densely populated Muslim communities in the United States.  An estimated 30,000 of its 98,000 residents are Muslims.  It is estimated that 80% of the student population of Fordson High School is Arabic and most of those are Muslims.  According to the lawsuit, Fadlallah has publically stated that he sees Fordson High School as a Muslim school.

Trouble started between Fadlallah and Marszalek when one of Coach Marszalek’s assistant coaches, Trey Hancock, held a summer wrestling camp in which a Muslim camper converted to Christianity.  Principal Fadlallah was so upset by the conversion that he punched the student and informed him he had disgraced his family.  Fadlallah also ordered Coach Marszalek to ban the assistant coach from the high school and all wrestling events.  However, since the assistant had a son that wrestled on the team, this was an impossible order to enforce.  After the wrestling season was over, Coach Marszalek was not allowed to reapply to his coaching position—in clear violation of Union rules.  Unfortunately for Coach Marszalek, his teacher’s Union did not help him in his hour of need.

The lawsuit claims violations of both the U.S. and Michigan constitutions and statutes including Michigan’s Elliot-Larsen Civil Rights.  Coach Marszalek is seeking his back pay, injunctive and declaratory relief, damages, and to be reinstated as coach of the wrestling team.

The Thomas More Law Center defends and promotes America’s Christian heritage and moral values, including the religious freedom of Christians, time-honored family values, and the sanctity of human life.  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.

ANN ARBOR, MI – On July 16, 2009, seven Texas-area Islamic organizations lost an appeal of the unanimous ruling of the Texas Second Court of Appeals at Forth Worth, which protected the free speech rights of internet journalists and at the same time dealt a blow to the legal jihad being waged by radical Muslim groups throughout the United States.  The Islamic groups asked for a reconsideration of the appellate court’s recent decision through what is known as an en banc opinion (appeal to the whole court, not just a panel of the court).  The Court ruling, in a per curiam (in the name of the whole court) two page opinion, upheld the dismissal of the libel lawsuit filed against internet reporter Joe Kaufman by the seven Islamic organizations.  (Click here to read the order denying the en banc request.)

The lawsuit against Kaufman was funded by the Muslim Legal Fund for America.  The head of that organization, Khalil Meek, admitted on a Muslim talk radio show that lawsuits were being filed against Kaufman and others to set an example.  Indeed, for the last several years, Muslim groups in the U.S. have engaged in the tactic of filing meritless lawsuits to silence any public discussion of Islamic terrorist threats.  This tactic, referred to by some as Islamist Lawfare uses our laws and legal system to silence critics and promote Islamic rule in America.

The Thomas More Law Center, a national public interest law firm based in Ann Arbor, Michigan provided the lead attorney to represent Kaufman, at no charge.  The Law Center attorney, Brandon Bolling, was assisted by Texas attorney Thomas S. Brandon, Jr. who acted as local counsel, and Los Angeles, CA attorneys William Becker, Jr. and Manuel S. Klausner.

Richard Thompson, President and Chief Counsel of the Thomas More Law Center, commented, “It is gratifying to see our client’s First Amendment rights being upheld by this entire Texas Appeals Court.  We do not yet know if these Islamic groups will try another appeal to the Texas Supreme Court, but this ruling is an indication of how strong this First Amendment case is.”

Kaufman, a full-time investigative reporter, has written extensively on Radical Islamic terrorism in America.  He was sued because of his September 28, 2007 article titled “Fanatic Muslim Family Day” published by Front Page Magazine, a major online news website.  Kaufman’s article exposed the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA) and the Islamic Association of Northern Texas (IANT) ties to the radical terrorist group Hamas.

Kaufman’s article called ICNA a radical Muslim organization that has ties to Al-Qaeda and the Muslim Brotherhood.  According to Kaufman, ICNA is an umbrella organization for South Asian-oriented mosques and Islamic centers in the United States created as an American arm of the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) of Pakistan.

Significantly, neither ICNA nor IANT, which were mentioned in Kaufman’s article, sued Kaufman.  It is speculated that ICNA and IANT were afraid of being subjected to pretrial discovery.  On the other hand, none of the seven plaintiffs that sued Kaufman were even mentioned in his article.  The seven Islamic organizations that sued Kaufman are the Islamic Society of Arlington, Texas, Islamic Center of Irving, DFW Islamic Educational Center, Inc., Dar Elsalam Islamic Center, Al Hedayah Islamic Center, Islamic Association of Tarrant County, and Muslim American Society of Dallas.  All are affiliated with CAIR, one of the unindicted co-conspirators in the successful federal prosecution of the Holy Land Foundation.

In what should be welcome news to internet journalists, the Appellate Court specifically rejected the Plaintiffs’ contention that Kaufman is not a “media defendant.”  The Court held that the Texas statute that gives procedural protections to traditional electronic and print media, including the right to a pretrial appeal, also covers internet journalists.  Thus, the Texas Statue entitled Kaufman the right to appeal the lower court’s denial of his motion to dismiss the frivolous libel claim before a time-consuming and expensive trial.  Most parties have to wait until after a trial before they can appeal an unfavorable lower court ruling.

The Thomas More Law Center defends and promotes America’s Christian heritage and moral values, including the religious freedom of Christians, time-honored family values, and the sanctity of human life.  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.

ANN ARBOR, MI – Yesterday, seven Texas-area Muslim organizations filed an appeal of the unanimous ruling of the Texas Second Court of Appeals at Forth Worth, which protected the free speech rights of internet journalists and at the same time dealt a blow to the legal jihad being waged by radical Muslim groups throughout the United States.  The Court ruling authored by Justice Terrie Livingston, dismissed the libel lawsuit filed against internet reporter Joe Kaufman by the seven Muslim organizations.

The lawsuit against Kaufman was funded by the Muslim Legal Fund for America.  The head of that organization, Khalil Meek, admitted on a Muslim radio show that lawsuits were being filed against Kaufman and others to set an example.  Indeed, for the last several years, Muslim groups in the U.S. have engaged in the tactic of filing meritless lawsuits to silence any public discussion of Islamic terrorist threats.  This tactic, referred to by some as Islamist Lawfare uses our laws and legal system to silence critics and promote Islamic rule in America.

The Thomas More Law Center, a national public interest law firm based in Ann Arbor, Michigan provided the lead attorney to represent Kaufman, at no charge.  The Law Center attorney, Brandon Bolling, was assisted by Texas attorney Thomas S. Brandon, Jr. who acted as local counsel, and Los Angeles, CA attorneys William Becker, Jr. and Manuel S. Klausner.

Richard Thompson, President and Chief Counsel of the Thomas More Law Center, commented, “This frivolous lawsuit is an example of the legal jihad being waged by radical Islamic organizations throughout our nation.  These lawsuits are aimed at stifling the free speech rights of Americans who dare to expose their agenda.  They  intentionally file lawsuits to intimidate reporters who seek to expose their agenda.  By making it costly to defend against their lawsuits, they hope journalists will refrain from writing about the threat to our nation.”

Kaufman, a full-time investigative reporter, has written extensively on Radical Islamic terrorism in America.  He was sued because of his September 28, 2007 article titled “Fanatic Muslim Family Day” published by Front Page Magazine, a major online news website.  Kaufman’s article exposed the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA) and the Islamic Association of Northern Texas (IANT) ties to the radical terrorist group Hamas.

Kaufman’s article called ICNA a radical Muslim organization that has ties to Al-Qaeda and the Muslim Brotherhood.  According to Kaufman, ICNA is an umbrella organization for South Asian-oriented mosques and Islamic centers in the United States created as an American arm of the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) of Pakistan.

A 1991 internal memorandum of the Muslim Brotherhood laid out their plan to destroy America from within:  “[The Muslim Brotherhood] must understand that their work in America is a kind of grand jihad in eliminating and destroying the Western civilization from within and ‘sabotaging’ its miserable house by their hands and the hands of believers so that it is eliminated and Allah’s religion is made victorious over all other religions.”

According to former FBI agent John Guandolo, who worked several years in the Bureau’s Counter Terrorism Division, every major Muslim organization is controlled by the Muslim Brotherhood.

Significantly, neither ICNA nor IANT, which were mentioned in Kaufman’s article, sued Kaufman.  It is speculated that ICNA and IANT were afraid of being subjected to pretrial discovery.

On the other hand, none of the seven plaintiffs that sued Kaufman were even mentioned in his article.

The seven Muslim organizations that sued Kaufman are the Islamic Society of Arlington, Texas, Islamic Center of Irving, DFW Islamic Educational Center, Inc., Dar Elsalam Islamic Center, Al Hedayah Islamic Center, Islamic Association of Tarrant County, and Muslim American Society of Dallas.  All are affiliated with CAIR, one of the unindicted co-conspirators in the successful federal prosecution of the Holy Land Foundation.

In what should be welcomed news to internet journalists, the Appellate Court specifically rejected the Plaintiffs’ contention that Kaufman is not a “media defendant.”  The Court held that the Texas statute that gives procedural protections to traditional electronic and print media, including the right to a pretrial appeal, also covers internet journalists.  Thus, the Texas Statue entitled Kaufman the right to appeal the lower court’s denial of his motion to dismiss the frivolous libel claim before a time-consuming and expensive trial.  Most parties have to wait until after a trial before they can appeal an unfavorable lower court ruling.

The Thomas More Law Center defends and promotes America’s Christian heritage and moral values, including the religious freedom of Christians, time-honored family values, and the sanctity of human life.  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.

ANN ARBOR, MI – Nearly four years after the so-called “Haditha Massacre,” an investigation conducted by over 65 NCIS agents (Naval Criminal Investigative Service) ─ the largest investigation in that agency’s history ─ with the expenditure of millions of taxpayer dollars, and prosecution losses at every stage of the criminal process, the government is still pursuing legal action against  Marine LtCol Jeffrey Chessani.

On June 15, 2009, the Staff Judge Advocate to the Marine Commandant confirmed to the Thomas More Law Center, that the Commandant, General James Conway, had referred the Chessani prosecution to LtGen George Flynn, Commanding General of the Marine Corps Combat Development Command in Quantico, VA, for disposition.

The case was sent back to the Commandant for disposition shortly after the government decided not to appeal the unanimous ruling by the Navy-Marine Corps Court of Criminal Appeals.  That ruling affirmed the dismissal of charges against LtCol Chessani on the grounds of unlawful command influence.

Because the military judge’s dismissal of the case was without prejudice, LtGen Flynn will now be responsible for deciding whether to recharge LtCol Chessani, take some administrative action, or take no action.

Richard Thompson, President and Chief Counsel of the Thomas More Law Center, commented, “This case started out as a political prosecution to appease the Iraqi government, anti-war media, and politicians.  LtCol Chessani loyally served his commanders and nation for over 20 years in several wars.  It’s time for justice.  I hope LtGen Flynn will make the right decision by stopping what is clearly now a political persecution of this loyal and patriotic combat officer.”

The Law Center, a national public interest law firm based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, along with detailed military attorneys LtCol Jon Shelburne, USMC, and Capt Jeffrey King, USMC, have represented LtCol Chessani throughout the criminal process.

Those bogus charges against LtCol Chessani were triggered by a fierce house-to-house, room-by-room combat action taken by four Marines in his battalion after being ambushed by insurgents in Haditha, Iraq on November 19, 2005.  Along with several insurgents, 15 civilians also died.  Where insurgents purposefully use civilians as human shields, civilian casualties are tragic, but not uncommon.

The trumped-up charges against LtCol Chessani: failing to properly report and investigate the November 19, 2005 incident.

In fact, he immediately reported the deaths of the 15 civilian Iraqis to his superiors.

Not one of his superiors hearing of the 15 civilian deaths ─ including top generals ─ considered it unusual.  Not one ordered a further investigation.  In fact, they commended him for a job well done.

Chessani’s immediate superior told him that no investigation was needed because it was a bona fide combat action.

His commanding general reported up the chain of command, “I support our account and do not see the necessity for further investigation.”

“Marines are renowned for their courage and their willingness to follow their commanders into battle against all odds.  Their commanders, on the other hand, owe justice to these brave men and women who face death for them.  That obligation requires commanders to defend their troops when politicians attempt to make them political scapegoats,” said Thompson.

The Thomas More Law Center defends and promotes America’s Christian heritage and moral values, including the religious freedom of Christians, time-honored family values, and the sanctity of human life.  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.

  ANN ARBOR, MI – The Thomas More Law Center, a national public interest law firm based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, announced today that it has filed a friend of the court brief opposing the ACLU’s campaign to tear down another war memorial cross.

At issue is a small cross originally erected on Sunrise Rock in 1934 by the Veterans of Foreign Wars in memory of the dead of all wars.  The cross is located in California’s Mojave Desert, in a remote area where the only visible signs of human activity are off-road vehicles and trail hikers.  The ACLU succeeded in its anti-cross agenda by obtaining a ruling in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals holding that the cross violated the so-called separation of church and state.  However, the U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear the case, Ken Salazar v. Frank Buono.

When the Supreme Court considers the case, it will have in its file a compelling brief supporting the use of crosses in war memorials filed by the Thomas More Law Center.  Click here to read the brief.  Joining the Law Center’s brief is the Individual Rights Foundation.

Richard Thompson, the President and Chief Counsel for the Law Center, commented, “Through our brief and the compelling stories of the war heroes we represent, we want the court to feel the devastating impact removing crosses will have on those who have sacrificed so much for this country.  Since the beginning of America, crosses have been used to memorialize our fallen war veterans and to give solace to their families and comrades. Ironically, the Ninth Circuit used the very constitution these veterans defended with their lives to order the destruction of the memory of their heroic sacrifices.  Sadly, the cross in the Mojave Desert is currently covered from view until the appeal is resolved.”

The Law Center’s brief was filed on behalf of former Navy pilot and Vietnam prisoner of war Rear Admiral Jeremiah Denton, USN (Ret.) and the families of Marine Majors Michael D. Martino (pictured at right) and Gerald Bloomfield, III, both of whom were killed in combat in Iraq on November 2, 2005, when their attack helicopter was shot down by a surface-to-air missile.  The memories and sacrifices of these war heroes are now preserved by plaques located under another cross, the cross at the Mt. Soledad Veterans Memorial.  The Law Center successfully defended that cross, but the cross is the subject of another lawsuit brought against the federal government by the ACLU.

Should the Supreme Court affirm the Ninth Circuit’s ruling, the cross at Mt. Soledad, which has been the subject of much litigation over the past twenty years, will be threatened as well.  A recent ACLU case challenging the Mt. Soledad cross is currently on appeal to the Ninth Circuit.  The Law Center has been actively involved in the successful defense of the Mt. Soledad cross for many years.

Jeremiah Denton, a retired U.S. Navy Rear Admiral, a veteran of World War II, Korea, and Vietnam, a prisoner of war from July 18, 1965 to February 13, 1973, a former U.S. Senator from the State of Alabama, also serves as the Chairman of the Thomas More Law Center’s Advisory Board.  Admiral Denton first came to the attention of the American public during a television interview arranged by his North Vietnamese captors in 1966.  Expected to give “proper responses” to a journalist’s recitation of alleged American war atrocities, Admiral Denton affirmed his faith in America, stating, “I will support it as long as I live.”  While responding to questions from his interrogator, Admiral Denton blinked his eyes in Morse Code, repeatedly spelling out the covert message “TORTURE.”  His message was the first confirmation that American POWs were being tortured.

During his nearly eight years as a POW, Admiral Denton was subjected to severe torture.  He became the first American military captive to be subjected to four years of solitary confinement.  Admiral Denton’s extraordinary account of his endurance and sacrifice for our country while imprisoned in North Vietnam was told in his 1976 book, When Hell Was in Session.

In 2008, Admiral Denton’s incredible sacrifice for our country – a horrific sacrifice that is unimaginable to most Americans – was honored and memorialized at the Mt. Soledad Veterans Memorial.  A plaque in his honor was placed under the cross at the veterans’ memorial during a ceremony held on September 19, 2008, the 2008 National POW/MIA Recognition Day.

Previously, in May 2006, Major Martino and Major Bloomfield’s unit, which had recently returned from Iraq, sponsored a plaque-dedication ceremony at the memorial to commemorate the fallen Marines’ heroic service and to provide a place to honor them.  More than three hundred Marines stood in line in the hot sun for over three hours to meet the Marines’ families and to pay respect for their fallen comrades.

These ceremonies reveal the importance of such memorials, which provide a lasting tribute to our servicemen and servicewomen.  They provide places where family members, friends, and comrades of our war veterans can pay tribute to their heroes’ sacrifices.  Consequently, these memorials, including the crosses, convey an unmistakably American message of patriotism and self-sacrifice; they do not “establish” Christianity as a national religion, as the ACLU and others who are hostile to religion contend.

Robert Muise, the Thomas More Law Center attorney who authored the brief, is a former Marine officer himself.  Said Muise, “Our brief demonstrates that removing crosses from veterans’ memorials will cause real, irreparable harm to our war heroes and their grieving families, as compared with the contrived ‘harm’ the ACLU and others who are hostile to religion will ‘feel’ because the memorial crosses remain.  Indeed, those that are hostile to our religious heritage are creating the very sort of religiously-based divisiveness that our Constitution was designed to prohibit.”

The Thomas More Law Center defends and promotes America’s Christian heritage and moral values, including the religious freedom of Christians, time-honored family values, and the sanctity of human life.  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.