May 8, 2017

ACLU Shrugs at Religious Liberty ‘Photo-Op’

The anti-Christian group views Trump’s latest executive order as bait not worth taking. Yet.

On Tuesday, May 2, the ACLU tweeted out this stern warning: “[I]f President Trump signs an order that would allow religion to be used as an excuse to discriminate, we will sue.” Then, on Thursday, May 4 — the day Donald Trump signed off on a religious liberty executive order — the organization stated in a press release that the “ACLU Promises Litigation on Today’s Trump Executive Order.”

Well, that was the plan, at least. By late Thursday afternoon, the ACLU had published a follow-up press release in which the organization seemingly backtracked. The statement read: “After careful review of the executive order covering the Johnson Amendment signed by President Trump today, the American Civil Liberties Union has determined not to file a lawsuit at this time.” In truth, the group’s hesitation isn’t really backtracking. Rather, the group contends that the immediate threat was overblown, but it’s also not letting its guard down.

According to ACLU Executive Director Anthony D. Romero, “[Thursday’s] executive order signing was an elaborate photo-op with no discernible policy outcome. After careful review of the order’s text we have determined that the order does not meaningfully alter the ability of religious institutions or individuals to intervene in the political process.” He added, “What President Trump did [Thursday] was merely provide a faux sop to religious conservatives and kick the can down the road on religious exemptions on reproductive health care services. … The ACLU stands ready to sue the Trump administration and in the event that this order triggers any official government action at all, we will see Trump in court, again.”

The ACLU’s response certainly speaks volumes about the downsides of executive orders. It also aids the perception that the executive order was unsatisfactory. The ACLU obviously thinks the EO carries little weight. And to a certain extent, it’s right. Trump likely intended it as bait for a lawsuit, so as to settle the matter in court. The ACLU didn’t take that bait … yet.

Furthermore, we’ve written that what Obama did by the pen can die by the pen, and Trump’s EOs are no different. The battle over religious liberty is going to continue with or without Trump’s directive (just consider the way the Leftmedia tip-toes around the phrase “religious liberty”). If Americans really want to ensure that religious liberty is respected and protected, Congress will need to intervene. That’s how to ultimately get the ACLU off your back permanently, too.

(Edited.)

Who We Are

The Patriot Post is a highly acclaimed weekday digest of news analysis, policy and opinion written from the heartland — as opposed to the MSM’s ubiquitous Beltway echo chambers — for grassroots leaders nationwide. More

What We Offer

On the Web

We provide solid conservative perspective on the most important issues, including analysis, opinion columns, headline summaries, memes, cartoons and much more.

Via Email

Choose our full-length Digest or our quick-reading Snapshot for a summary of important news. We also offer Cartoons & Memes on Monday and Alexander’s column on Wednesday.

Our Mission

The Patriot Post is steadfast in our mission to extend the endowment of Liberty to the next generation by advocating for individual rights and responsibilities, supporting the restoration of constitutional limits on government and the judiciary, and promoting free enterprise, national defense and traditional American values. We are a rock-solid conservative touchstone for the expanding ranks of grassroots Americans Patriots from all walks of life. Our mission and operation budgets are not financed by any political or special interest groups, and to protect our editorial integrity, we accept no advertising. We are sustained solely by you. Please support The Patriot Fund today!


The Patriot Post and Patriot Foundation Trust, in keeping with our Military Mission of Service to our uniformed service members and veterans, are proud to support and promote the National Medal of Honor Heritage Center, the Congressional Medal of Honor Society, both the Honoring the Sacrifice and Warrior Freedom Service Dogs aiding wounded veterans, the National Veterans Entrepreneurship Program, the Folds of Honor outreach, and Officer Christian Fellowship, the Air University Foundation, and Naval War College Foundation, and the Naval Aviation Museum Foundation. "Greater love has no one than this, to lay down one's life for his friends." (John 15:13)

★ PUBLIUS ★

“Our cause is noble; it is the cause of mankind!” —George Washington

Please join us in prayer for our nation — that righteous leaders would rise and prevail and we would be united as Americans. Pray also for the protection of our Military Patriots, Veterans, First Responders, and their families. Please lift up your Patriot team and our mission to support and defend our Republic's Founding Principle of Liberty, that the fires of freedom would be ignited in the hearts and minds of our countrymen.

The Patriot Post is protected speech, as enumerated in the First Amendment and enforced by the Second Amendment of the Constitution of the United States of America, in accordance with the endowed and unalienable Rights of All Mankind.

Copyright © 2024 The Patriot Post. All Rights Reserved.

The Patriot Post does not support Internet Explorer. We recommend installing the latest version of Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox, or Google Chrome.