In The Public Arena

Protecting Religious Freedom for Public Expression and Defending Public Religious Displays

Protecting religious freedom in the public arena is critically important. This includes defending and restoring:

• Religious speech in public locations
• Public religious displays
• Religious speech in the work place with no retribution for employees, employers, customers and vendors

Cases: In the Public Arena

	Fight Continues for Mt. Soledad Veterans Memorial Cross Liberty Institute is leading the charge in the continued effort to save the Mt. Soledad Veterans Memorial Cross and other veterans memorials with religious imagery. More

	Don't Mess With Grandpa Everything changed for the seniors at Balch Springs Senior Center when the city enacted a new policy, telling them they were no longer able to pray before meals, listen to gospel music or bring in religious speakers. More

Should A Pastor Be Allowed to Pray in Jesus Name in Public? In May 2011, the director of Houston National Cemetery, Arlene Ocasio required Pastor Scott Rainey to submit for approval his prayer before praying at a Memorial Day ceremony at the cemetery. After reviewing Pastor Rainey’s prayer, Director Ocasio informed him that, in order to pray, he would need to remove religious references from his prayer, including praying in Jesus‘ name. More

The Return of The Mojave Desert Veterans Memorial Cross For more than 70 years, the Mojave Desert Veterans Memorial Cross stood atop Sunrise Rock in the middle of the 1.6 million-acre Mojave National Preserve in California. Suddenly, the complaint of one individual living out of state sparked a national controversy that compromised the fate of this veterans memorial and other memorials across the country that have religious imagery. More

	Sharing Faith with Fans at Major Sporting Events Liberty Institute represents Sports Fan Outreach International by protecting their right to Free Speech and Free Exercise of Religion at major sporting events, including the upcoming MLB All-Star Game in Kansas City, Mo., the Summer Olympics in London, and next year’s Super Bowl in New Orleans. More

	Austin Pregnancy Resource Center The city of Austin, Texas, passed an ordinance targeting pro-life, Christian pregnancy resource centers that oppose abortion and certain forms of birth control. The ordinance compelled the organizations to post false and misleading signs at their front entrances stating services they do not provide. More

	Tearing Jesus Down For nearly 60 years, the Knights of Columbus of Kalispell, Mont., have owned and maintained the 10th Mountain Division Veterans Memorial located on Big Mountain, in Flathead National Forest. The statue made headlines when the U.S. Forest Service initially denied the Knight's permit renewal application because the memorial contained religious imagery. More

Municipalities Cannot Unreasonably Restrict Citizen's Free Speech and Free Exercise of Religion Rights San Antonio Police unlawfully arrested and imprisoned overnight Todd Leibovitz, a recent Bible College graduate, for peacefully speaking about the Christian faith and sharing passages from the Bible on a public sidewalk in the city of San Antonio. Liberty Institute filed a federal lawsuit against the city of San Antonio and the police officers involved challenging the city's unconstitutional policies, customs and practices. More