Church-State Separation & the Courts

Americans United’s Legal Department defends church-state separation by going to court on behalf of people whose religious-freedom rights have been violated; by contacting school districts, municipalities, and state and federal agencies to resolve constitutional violations without litigation; and by contributing our expertise through friend-of-the-court briefs in cases nationwide.

Our Litigation

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We’ve Been Securing Religious Freedom in the Courts for Decades

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  • 2022
    Easter v. U.S. Department of Health & Human Services: Our lawsuit caused a religious foster-care agency to stop discriminating against a lesbian woman who wanted to foster refugee children.
  • 2019
    Challenges to Trump Administration “Denial of Care” Rule: We blocked a Trump Administration regulation that would allow healthcare providers and employees to use their religious or moral beliefs as a basis to refuse to assist patients.
  • 2015
    LaRue v. Douglas County School District: We ended a Colorado school district’s use of private-school vouchers to fund religious schools.
  • 2005
    Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District: We stopped a public school district’s effort to teach intelligent-design creationism in science class.
  • 2002
    Glassroth v. Moore: We blocked Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore’s attempt to display a religious monument in the state judicial building.

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BREAKING NEWS

Americans United & the National Women’s Law Center file suit to challenge Missouri’s abortion bans.

Abortion bans violate the separation of church and state. Americans United and the National Women’s Law Center—the leading experts in religious freedom and gender justice—have joined forces with thirteen clergy from six faith traditions to challenge Missouri’s abortion bans as unconstitutionally imposing one narrow religious doctrine on everyone.


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