Legal

Cranford, NJ—American Atheists denounced the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Hobby Lobby on Monday that declared a closely-held corporation is a person with religious rights. Using the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, the Court ruled that owners of closely held corporations may opt out of the so-called “birth control mandate” of…...

Cranford, NJ—American Atheists announced on Friday that its lawsuit concerning a Ten Commandments monument on the grounds of the Oklahoma State Capitol in American Atheists v. Thompson, et al will proceed as planned after a motion to dismiss was denied by the judge. The 2,000-pound monument, donated to the state…...

American Atheists announced on Monday that its lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service in American Atheists v. Shulman was dismissed on standing by the Eastern District Court of Kentucky. The case alleged that the IRS discriminates in its filing requirements for nonreligious nonprofit organizations compared to its requirements for religious…...

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…...