Mission
Liberty Institute is a 501c(3) nonprofit organization committed to defending and restoring religious liberty across America—in our schools, for our churches and throughout the public arena. Often, our help is a last resort for those whose constitutional freedoms and God-given rights have been denied.
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History
40 Years of Protecting Freedom In 1972, Liberty Institute began as a small advocacy organization under a different name and advanced the cause of liberty, including religious liberty. What began nearly 40 years ago has grown into an influential non-profit law firm, dedicated to defending and restoring religious liberty across America.
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Leadership
Kelly Shackelford, Esq.
President and CEO
Mr. Shackelford has been president and CEO of Liberty Institute since 1997.
He is a constitutional scholar who has argued before the United States Supreme Court, testified before the U.S. House and Senate on constitutional issues, and has won three state landmark First Amendment and religious liberty cases in the past few years alone.
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Attorneys
Jeff Mateer, Esq.
General Counsel
Mr. Mateer joined Liberty Institute in 2010 after 19 years in private litigation practice. He now oversees and directs Liberty Institute’s legal team. He specializes in religious liberty matters, including free exercise, free speech, RLUIPA and public acknowledgment of religion cases.
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Top Victories
Top Five Recent Victories including Salazar v. Buono, 559 U.S. __, 130 S. Ct. 1803 (2010): The ACLU originally secured a decision declaring the Mojave Desert Veteran’s Memorial Cross unconstitutional. Liberty Institute represented over 4 million veterans from the Veterans of Foreign Wars, American Legion and other military organizations. Liberty Institute won a major victory at the U.S. Supreme Court upholding the cross and memorial. The Court cited our amicus brief on behalf of veterans 12 separate times in their decision.
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Active Cases
Current Active Cases including Plano Candy Cane Case Morgan v. Plano I.S.D., 589 F.3d 740 (5th Cir. 2009) and Morgan v. Swanson, , 659 F.3d 359 (5th Cir. 2011) At an elementary school in Plano, Texas, school officials forbid a third grade student from giving a candy cane with a religious message to a friend.
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