Legal

After reading both the US Supreme Court’s majority opinion and the dissent in the Town of Greece v. Galloway on Monday about prayers before city council meetings, I was faced with an irrevocable truth–not one of the justices gets it. Is “tradition” really a good reason to support a bad…...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Monday Jan 13, 2014 Text of the lawsuit is available here. Oklahoma City, OK—American Atheists filed a federal lawsuit on Monday against members of the Oklahoma State Capitol Preservation Commission for placing a 2,000-pound Ten Commandments monument at the north entrance of the Oklahoma State Capitol in…...

Covington, KY—Oral arguments begin on Thursday at 10 AM CT in the case of American Atheists v. IRS. The nonprofit organization is suing the government tax-collection agency for discrimination, alleging that churches receive unconstitutional preferential treatment over other nonprofit organizations. If the suit succeeds, it could mean churches would then…...

American Atheists supports this decision and sees this as a step in the right direction, but separation of religion and government still has a long way to go. The Air Force Academy should take out the “god” part altogether, and/or make it optional for those cadets who opt *in.* Under…...

Cranford, NJ—American Atheists has dispatched a letter (see below) to the Hon. Todd Strange, Mayor of Montgomery, Alabama, and to Montgomery Police Chief Kevin Murphy alleging that the city’s “Operation Good Shepherd” is unconstitutional, demanding the program cease immediately. The letter arrives on Tuesday. The program uses volunteer Christian pastors…...

Today is a landmark day for equality in American history: Superior Court Judge Mary Jacobson ordered state officials in New Jersey to begin officiating marriages for gay couples beginning October 21. Governor Chris Christie said he will appeal, all the way to the state’s Supreme Court if necessary. We’re not finished…...

Today marks an important step in the fight for equality and separation of religion and government. David Niose, immediate past President of the American Humanist Association and attorney for “John and Jane Doe,” begins oral arguments today before the Massachusetts Supreme Court....

Cranford, NJ—As public backlash was growing, the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission reversed its decision on Wednesday, approving American Atheists President David Silverman’s application for custom license plates reading “ATHE1ST.”  American Atheists, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, is a national non-profit dedicated to fighting discrimination against atheists. On…...