Americans United Applauds Federal Court Ruling Freezing Trump’s ‘Muslim Ban 2.0’

Mar 15, 2017

A federal court in Hawaii this evening put a hold on President Donald J. Trump’s latest executive order that bars issuing new visas to the residents of several Muslim-majority countries and suspends admission of refugees.

U.S. District Judge Derrick K. Watson said the Trump directive likely violates the church-state separation provisions of the First Amendment by singling out Muslims for ill treatment for no other reason than their religious beliefs.

Americans United Executive Director Barry W. Lynn Announces Retirement After 25 Years At Helm Of Church-State Separation Group

AU Board Of Trustees Spearheading Search For Organization’s Next Leader

Mar 15, 2017

Americans United Executive Director Barry W. Lynn today announced that he will retire at the end of 2017.

Lynn, who will turn 69 later this year, has served as Americans United’s executive director for 25 years. He was appointed by the organization’s Board of Trustees on Sept. 22, 1992.

“The last 25 years have been amazing,” Lynn said. “I’ve been honored to lead Americans United during what has been a challenging period, but I’ve decided it’s time for me to step down and for Americans United to enter its next phase of growth under new leadership.”

Trump’s New Executive Order On Immigration Is Still An Offensive, Unconstitutional Muslim Ban, Says Americans United

Church-State Watchdog Group Vows To Fight New Directive

Mar 6, 2017

President Donald J. Trump’s latest effort to curb Muslim immigration into the United States is just as offensive and illegal as his first try, says Americans United for Separation of Church and State.

“President Trump is attempting to dress up this monster, but it just doesn’t work,” said Barry W. Lynn, executive director of Americans United. “This policy remains a destructive beast that offends our Constitution by treating people like second-class citizens based on their religious beliefs. It has to go.” 

Trump Should Drop School Voucher Crusade, Says Americans United

Church-State Watchdog Group Says ‘School Choice’ Programs Don’t Work And Undermine Public School Funding

Mar 3, 2017

President Donald J. Trump today visited a private Catholic school that benefits from Florida’s tuition tax credit program – a voucher scheme that diverts taxpayer dollars away from public schools.

Americans United for Separation of Church and State opposes voucher programs, including tuition tax credits, because they funnel desperately needed funding away from public schools and into private, mostly religious schools that lack accountability and often perform no better – and sometimes worse – than their public counterparts.

Americans United And National LGBT Bar Association Ask Supreme Court To Afford Transgender Student Equal Restroom Access

Organizations Work With Law Firm Hogan Lovells To File Court Brief Asserting Religious Beliefs Can’t Be Used To Justify Government Discrimination Against High School Student Gavin Grimm

Mar 2, 2017

Americans United for Separation of Church and State and the National LGBT Bar Association today asked the Supreme Court to affirm that a transgender student can use the school restroom that corresponds with his gender identity.

Americans United Opposes President Trump’s Proposal To Use Taxpayer Money To Fund Private Schools

Feb 28, 2017

During tonight’s address to a joint session of Congress, President Donald J. Trump reaffirmed his intention to invest in “school choice” – code words for using taxpayer money to fund private school vouchers.

In response, Americans United for Separation of Church and State asserted that it will oppose any efforts by Trump’s administration to funnel public funds into private, mostly religious, schools.

Americans United Says Religiously Affiliated Hospitals Should Comply With Federal Retirement Protections

Church-State Watchdog Files Brief With U.S. Supreme Court In Trio Of Cases Involving ERISA Pension Exemptions

Feb 23, 2017

Americans United for Separation of Church and State today asked the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold lower court rulings that found religiously affiliated hospitals should comply with federal pension protections.

In a friend-of-the-court brief, Americans United argued that exempting religiously affiliated hospitals and health systems from the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) would violate church-state separation by granting these institutions a financial advantage over secular competitors.

Americans United Hails Federal Appeals Court’s Ruling In Mich. Government Prayer Case

Court Notes That Resident Who Brought Case Was Ridiculed By Jackson County Officials

Feb 15, 2017

A federal appeals court today ruled that county commissioners in Jackson County, Mich., may not open their meetings by personally delivering prayers that are exclusively Christian in nature.

The case, Bormuth v. County of Jackson, was brought by a local resident who is a Druid and who opposed the prayer policy. The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 2-1 in Peter Bormuth’s favor.

Americans United says the court made the right call.

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