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Mario Diaz Archives – Concerned Women for America

Pastor to Pastor Dinner: Leading in Victory in Today’s Culture

By | Missouri | No Comments

Pastors and their spouses are invited to attend the Concerned Women for America (CWA) of Missouri’s “Pastor to Pastor – Leading in Today’s Culture” dinner on Friday, April 8, in Springfield, Missouri.

Hear pastor and attorney Mario Diaz, Esq., speak on today’s challenging issues, learn what churches can legally do to bring biblical values into every area of influence, and be inspired and equipped to lead your congregation in these difficult times. Together, with God’s help, we can turn America around.

Pastor to Pastor – Dinner Details:
Date: Friday, April 8, 2022
Time: 6:30 p.m.
Location: Uncle Buck’s Auditorium, 1935 S. Campbell, Springfield, Missouri
Contact: Bev Ehlen – 314-608-0168 or e-mail.
Cost: There is no cost for pastors and their spouses. RSVP here by Friday, April 1.

Be sure to invite your pastor to this event!


About Mario Diaz

Mr. Diaz is an ordained pastor and currently serves as Associate Pastor for ‘El Monte,’ the Spanish campus of Mount Ararat Baptist Church in Stafford, Virginia. He also serves as Concerned Women for America’s General Counsel and leads the CWA Legal Studies Department.

Mario is a constitutional law expert who focuses on cases and legislation dealing with CWA’s seven core issues: religious liberty, the sanctity of human life, defense of the family, sexual exploitation, education, national sovereignty, and support for Israel. He also directs CWA’s amicus briefs and our work on judicial nominations and judicial activism.

Please pray that all who God wants to attend will attend these events. Please pray that all will be inspired and armed to stand for biblical values in all areas of influence.

Diaz: First Black Woman Supreme Court Justice Could Be… a Man?

By | Legal, News and Events | No Comments

President Joe Biden has made clear he will keep his promise to elect the first black woman to the Supreme Court, following Justice Stephen Breyer’s retirement. But in a curious tweet announcing he will pick someone with excellent qualifications, he said, “And they will be the first black woman nominated to the United States Supreme Court.”

Mario Diaz, Esq., Concerned Women for America’s Legal Counsel, lays out his arguments that the first black Supreme Court justice could actually be a man in his Daily Signal piece.

Praying for Dobbs

By | Dobbs, News and Events, Sanctity of Life | No Comments

Concerned Women for America

Six Month Spiritual Engagement for Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health

The December 1 oral arguments for Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health were just the beginning of our pro-life efforts for this case. If the Court keeps to its historical track record of rendering decisions on “controversial” cases in the last weeks of its term, the Dobbs decision will likely be announced by the end of June.

Until the Supreme Court renders its decision, our posture must be on our knees before the Lord. CWA is encouraging our leaders, members, and friends across the country to set aside the fourth Monday of the next six months, beginning January 24, for focused prayer on the Dobbs case. Using the 30 Days of Prayer for Life prayer booklet and our monthly prayer points listed below, we encourage you to gather together people to pray in person, over the phone, or via Zoom.

Monday, January 24, 2022

Using the 30 Days of Prayer for Life booklet, read silently or aloud prayers 1, 2, 13, 14, and 15.

Strategic Prayer Points:

  • Pray that the March for Life, held on January 21 in Washington, D.C., had a great spiritual impact on the Justices and their law clerks as they continue to study and prepare their opinions for the Dobbs vs Jackson case.
  • Pray for the media, that they will see the importance of the March for Life in light of the Dobbs case and choose to report on the march and the case both fairly and accurately.
  • Pray that the decision of the Dobbs case will end the federal scourge of abortion on our nation.
February – June prayer points will be listed soon.

Register for North Dakota’s Pro-Life Conference

By | North Dakota | No Comments

Concerned Women for America (CWA) of North Dakota invites you to attend the 2022 North Dakota Pro-Life Conference sponsored by our ally North Dakota Family Policy Alliance and in conjunction with many other pro-life organizations around the state, including CWA of North Dakota.

We are excited to have CWA’s General Counsel, Mario Diaz, Esq. kick off the conference with his presentation “Beyond Roe – Rekindling Our Love of Life.” Be sure to stop by the CWA of North Dakota table where we will have our powerful prayer booklet on hand, 30 Days of Prayer FOR LIFE, Spiritual Engagement for Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health booklet written by Mario Diaz.

We need to be engaged more than ever to support mothers and their unborn children. Will you join us?

There is no cost to attend the event, and lunch will be provided!

Here are the details:
Date: Tuesday, January 11, 2022
Time: 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Location: Heritage Center in Bismarck, 612 E Boulevard Ave, Bismarck, ND 58505
Registration: Register online or call: (701) 355-6425. Space is limited so register today!

Conference speakers include:

  • Concerned Women for America, Mario Diaz, Esq.
  • Concerned Women for America of North Dakota, Linda Thorson, State Director
  • North Dakota Family Alliance, Mark Jorritsma, Executive Director
  • North Dakota Catholic Conference, Christopher Dodson, Executive Director
  • North Dakota Right to Life, McKenzie McCoy, Executive Director
  • Women’s Pregnancy Center in Grand Forks, Jill Chandler, Executive Director
  • North Dakota State Legislature, Pro-life Caucus Leader, Senator Janne Myrdal
  • North Dakota Conservative Advocates, Amber Vibeto, Executive Director
  • North Dakota Post Abortion Ministries, Jodi Clemens, Sidewalk Advocate

Join us for this first-ever comprehensive pro-life conference here in North Dakota. You are sure to be encouraged to hear about the pro-life work being done in North Dakota to protect unborn children and their mothers.

You don’t want to miss this time of fellowship, exchange of ideas, and engagement in the pro-life movement. Space is limited, so please sign up today. See you there!

Linda Thorson
State Director

Indefensible Roe – The Scientific Track

By | Dobbs, Legal, News and Events, Sanctity of Life, SCOTUS, Substack | No Comments

Do not believe your lying eyes.

This (pictured above) is not a baby. No sir.

If it were a person, then the Supreme Court itself admitted in Roe they would not have made the decision they made to allow her to be crushed and sucked out of her mother’s womb.

It is actually a good thing they didn’t have such confusing pictures back then. In 1973, when Roe was decided, they thought a baby at 15 weeks, as is at issue in the Mississippi law being challenged in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, looked like this:

Much easier to declare that this is some sort of tissue, part of a woman’s body, instead of a baby deserving of love and care. That is why the pro-abortion side in Dobbs wants the justices to keep women back in 1973. Nothing has changed, they argued on the day of oral arguments…

<em><a href=”https://mariodiaz.substack.com/p/indefensible-roe-the-scientific-track”>Click here</a> to read the rest of Mario’s exclusive <a href=”https://mariodiaz.substack.com/”>Substack column</a>. And be sure to subscribe below to never miss one of his posts again!</em>

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Webinar: What’s Next for Dobbs v. Jackson?

By | Dobbs, News and Events | No Comments

Several thousand pro-life supporters rallied and prayed outside the Supreme Court on Wednesday, December 1, as the historic Supreme Court oral arguments were heard for Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. Tens of thousands more joined in prayer from around the nation!

Concerned Women for America (CWA) is hosting a live webinar one week after the oral arguments to provide perspective on all the activity that happened outside the Court on December 1, and to answer the question everyone is asking, “Now that the oral arguments are over, what’s next for the Dobbs v. Jackson case?”

On Wednesday, December 8, join CWA’s CEO and President Penny Nance and CWA’s Legal Counsel Mario Diaz, Esq., as they debrief the December 1 oral arguments and discuss what happens next with the Court on this critical pro-life case.

Whether you attended the December 1 event or joined us in prayer from home, this webinar is for you!

Here are the details:
Date: Wednesday, December 8, 2021
Time: 2:00 p.m. EST [1:00 p.m. CST; 12:00 p.m. Mountain; 11:00 a.m. CST]

Click here to register. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

Get ‘Em While They’re Young

By | Defense of Family, LBB, News and Events | No Comments

The most innocuous category of our useless TV ratings system is TV-Y. According to the parental guidelines, it signifies content that is suitable for preschool children (2-6). This is such a formative, innocent age that even children’s networks have developed a junior version (i.e., Nick Jr., Disney Junior) to target these little ones.

Some popular shows have followed suit, developing toddler versions of their shows, specifically targeted to this age group. For example, Disney Junior has developed “Muppet Babies.” Just one look at the baby versions of the classic characters like Miss Piggy, Kermit the Frog, and Gonzo puts a smile on your face.

But I hope by now you know that you cannot entrust your children to the culture. I spoke to NTD News recently about San Francisco’s Gay Men’s Chorus coming out publicly with a song proclaiming they want to “convert our children.”

Please note, you cannot trust the TV ratings either. The Muppet Babies’ latest episode introduces your preschooler to the first transgender princess.  Season 3, Episode 19, titled “Gonzo-rella / Summer’s Car Trouble,” just as it sounds, plays on the old story of Cinderella, but now featuring the beloved Gonzo character…

Click here to read the rest of Mario’s exclusive Substack column. And be sure to subscribe below to never miss one of his posts again!

California Just Doesn’t Get It

By | Briefs, Case Vault, Legal, News and Events, SCOTUS | No Comments

They know it is wrong. You have told them it is wrong. But our kids do it anyway, don’t they? Of course, we know once caught, they promise they will never do it again. Ever. They promise they get it, but you walk away from the conversation thinking, “They don’t get it.”

That was the feeling one got from the state of California after hearing oral arguments this week in two significant First Amendment cases before the United States Supreme Court: Americans for Prosperity Foundation v. Bonta and Thomas More Law Center v. Bonta.

The cases challenge California’s effort to force all non-profits that solicit support in the state to disclose to the government sensitive information about their major donors.

Although the state recognizes the glaring constitutional burdens on individual rights to freedom of speech and association, it still claims it needs the private information to guard against fraud. Besides, the state promises to keep the information super confidential.

Only they haven’t. As Justice Elena Kagan pointed out during oral arguments, the district court that heard the evidence in this case found that “there was a pervasive, recurring pattern of inadvertent disclosure by California.” In other words, they promise to keep the donor information private, but they don’t. They leak them intentionally or by error, ensuring, as the court also found, that “donors would likely be subject to threats and harassment.”

So, what do you do when your child has a pervasive and recurring pattern of misbehavior that endangers others? Do you just need them to promise you (one more time) that they will never do it again? …

Click here to continue reading this op-ed as featured on American Thinker.

The Federalist: Biden’s DOJ Appointees Plan To Persecute Nuns, Police, And Female Athletes

By | Legal, News and Events, Religious Liberty, Sanctity of Life | No Comments

Judge Merrick Garland, President Joe Biden’s choice for U.S. attorney general, confirmed his focus on “ensuring racial equity” and “meeting the evolving threat of violent extremism” at his confirmation hearings last week.

“If confirmed, I will supervise the prosecution of white supremacists and others who stormed the Capitol,” he said in his opening statements, calling the events on Jan. 6, “a heinous attack that sought to disrupt a cornerstone of our democracy: the peaceful transfer of power to a newly elected government.”

Combined with other nominations being put in motion, the statements indicate we may be going back to the days of extraordinary politicization of the Department of Justice (DOJ) and other administrative agencies to go after Democrats’ enemies.

Click here to read the rest of this op-ed as featured in The Federalist.


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Neera Tanden

Neera Tanden, professional divider

By | Legal, News and Events | No Comments

“[T]o restore the soul and to secure the future of America requires more than words. It requires that most elusive of things in a democracy: unity.” Those were President Joe Biden’s much-acclaimed words at his inaugural address. He was right which, ironically, is why most conservatives did not believe a word of it.

His words have attempted to unify. But, if President Biden knows more than words are needed to achieve unity, he must not really want it. Most of the actions he has taken as president have been hyper-divisive.

In his first week in office, he went on an all-out assault on conservatives, opting to promote abortion on demand at home and abroad, ignoring women’s concerns over the safety and fairness of biological males taking over women sports and spaces, and canceling many projects and policies (like the Keystone Pipeline) that were life-bringing for millions, especially those with low-incomes.

His nominations also reflect he is not serious about uniting the country. They suggest he is actively working for a deeper divide.

Neera Tanden, President Biden’s nomination to be the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), is just the latest example. Tanden, a former Hillary Clinton advisor and the current president of the leftist Center for American Progress, has made a career of dividing.

Click here to read the rest of this op-ed as featured exclusively in American Thinker.

 


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Senate Must Do Better for HHS Than Abortion Activist Xavier Becerra

By | LBB, Legal, News and Events | No Comments

The United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) handles one of the most essential and basic functions of government: public health. Its mission is “to enhance the health and well-being of all Americans, by providing for effective health and human services and by fostering sound, sustained advances in the sciences underlying medicine, public health, and social services.”

The U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services leads HHS. It is an important post that requires a knowledgeable and experienced individual.

The previous HHS Secretary under President Donald J. Trump, Tom Price, was a medical doctor with decades of health care policy experience.

Kathleen Sebelius and Sylvia Burwell, who both served as HHS Secretary under President Barack Obama, also had significant health care management background before being nominated.

Sure, one can disagree with their political philosophies and policies (I sure did). Still, Sibelius was the Insurance Commissioner of Kansas for eight years before becoming the Governor of Kansas. Burwell worked for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, becoming the president of their Global Development Program which is highly influential in developing global health policy.

The question is, why in the world is California Attorney General Xavier Becerra President Joe Biden’s nominee for HHS?

A Rabid Abortion Activist

Look, Becerra is an accomplished attorney of Mexican descent, so I’m sympathetic. But Gen. Becerra has zero experience in public health care. Unlike with previous candidates, his career does not suggest he even cares about public health policy.

Gen. Becerra was admitted to the California State Bar in 1985. The next year he was an administrative assistant for California State Senator Art Torres. He then served as deputy attorney general for three years, and his next move was to run and become a State Assemblyman for two years, where he worked on laws revising criminal sentencing.

Then, before taking his current post as Attorney General for California (in 2017), he went to the U.S. House of Representatives, where, again, nothing stands out about his interest in health care policy.

Except in one area: abortion. That has been his focus. Gen. Becerra is a political operative, prosecutor, and a rabid abortion activist. Does that qualify him to lead the nation’s health care policy?

Put aside the abortion issue. There are plenty of abortion proponents with enormous health care experience. Why is Becerra the pick?

Click here to read the rest of this op-ed as featured on The Stream.


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How to Face 2021

By | Legal, News and Events | No Comments

In some ways, many of us could not wait to put 2020 behind us. It was a terrible year for many families and businesses following the COVID-19 pandemic. In another sense, though, it feels like there is still some unfinished business with 2020 that prevents us from fully embracing the plan God is setting before us for 2021.

The election certainly feels that way. Even following a vaccine, the continued lockdowns, and the uncertainty about what is to come, have many of us are feeling exhausted even before the new year begins. How can we face 2021 feeling this way?

I will tell you; I look no further than the preeminence of Christ. Paul wrote to the Church at Colossae that, “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through Him and for Him.” (Colossians 1:15-16)

Did you notice that by Him, thrones and dominions and rulers and authorities are created? Do you see how relevant this word is for us today in America as we face 2021 full of uncertainty?

We may not know many things, but we know one thing as sure as the sun lights the sky: by Jesus Christ, rulers and authorities are put in their positions of power.

What joy! What assurance! For we know this God is good and merciful, loving and kind; His ways are perfect.

Why do we fret then? Why do we worry? Why do we wonder how we will keep things together?

Paul continued, “And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together” (v.17).

It is in Him that all things hold together. It is through Him, that’s how.

Do you believe it? If you do as I do, then it is to Him that we should go with all our concerns over January 5 and 6, and 20. We go to Him, and we can rest in His loving care. He is in control.

“[H]e is the head of the body, the church,” Paul wrote, “the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything He might be preeminent” (v. 18).

Here we arrive at our plan of action, dear readers. Let us allow Jesus Christ to have preeminence in all our endeavors in 2021. He is our aim—His exaltation. Our minds must be continually on Him; we live and breathe, pray and take action in a manner worthy of Him who called us by His grace.

Let joy be our trademark. Let the peace of God, which surpasses understanding, be the sweet aroma permeating all our engagements. God is in control.

In some ways, I see many of us as the disciples on the boat. The storm hit; there is chaos around. They are scared. The boat is filling up with water. Will they make it?

So, they go to Jesus, who is sound asleep in the stern. “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” they asked (Mark 4:38).

Tears fill my eyes almost every time I read that question. We are seriously this clueless—this self-absorbed. We dare question the Master’s love—His care.

Many of us are asking Him this very question today. “Jesus, will you allow them to get away with this? Do you not care?”

He does. It pains me to have to write these two words, but He does. It physically hurts me to admit that I need the reminder.

And consider Jesus’ loving response, even as He rebukes the winds and the rain: “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” (Mark 4:40)

Well, have you? Do you doubt He can rise and rebuke the political winds from our storm and restore peace?

I tell you, there is no force in nature capable of withstanding His rebuke. Believe it! God is on the move, and He will leave us standing in awe at His mighty works, wondering, “who is this that even the political winds and the pandemic sea obey Him?”

This is as true for us in 2021 as it was for the disciples in Jesus’ day.

By Mario Diaz, Esq., CWA General Counsel
Download printable copy.

CWA Still Committed to the Principles of our Founding

By | Briefs, Defense of Family, Feminist / Women's Issues, LBB, News and Events | No Comments

Precisely forty-two years ago, in 1978, Beverly LaHaye held the first Concerned Women for America (CWA) meeting in San Diego, California, to educate women about the threats presented by the so-called Equal Rights Amendment (ERA). More than 1,200 attended. It was the beginning of what would become the largest public policy organization for women in the nation.

CWA went on to have a resounding victory against the ERA both in the culture and the courtroom. But, believe it or not, some radical feminists never got over that resounding loss. They are still trying to revive the old, putrefied ERA corpse to this day.

CWA continues to stand in their way.

Just last week, we filed a brief in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia standing against illegal efforts to bypass precedent and keep the effort to pass the ERA alive. The brief, filed by Michael Farris, who was legal counsel for CWA back when we defeated the ERA the first time, and who is now the CEO and General Counsel for the Alliance Defending Freedom, explains to the court why the efforts to revive this effort violates the constitutional process.

Simply put, the ERA’s ratification deadline has come and gone. The effort is legally dead. The U.S. Congress gave the states seven years to ratify it, and they failed in that effort decades ago. To pass the ERA, they would need to start the process all over again.

Even the radically liberal Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has acknowledged as much, saying at a Georgetown Law School event that the effort to revive it comes “long after the deadline passed” and needs to start over. “I would like to see a new beginning,” she told the moderator Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals Judge M. Margaret McKeown, “I’d like it to start over.”

In our brief, we argue ERA activists themselves have acknowledged that their time has expired in numerous public statements. But now they seek to circumvent the constitutional process and revive the effort. Even their efforts to “remove the deadline,” acknowledge as much:

The Alice Paul Institute admits that “the ERA did not succeed in getting [sufficient] ratifications before the deadline.” The Feminist Majority Foundation explains that Congress must either “rescind the arbitrary timeline on ERA ratification … [or] pass the ERA again.” Likewise, the League of Women Voters of the United States currently urges its followers to “Tell Congress to remove the deadline so the ERA can cross the finish line!” … On its website, Equality Now tells supporters they “now must urge Senators to pass S.J. Res. 6, another joint resolution to eliminate the deadline. It is more important than ever to urge Senators to eliminate the original deadline!”

The ERA was bad policy then and is still bad policy today. It is why the American people rejected it. Feminists seek to use it to force their radical pro-abortion policies on the country, like finally getting our tax dollars to pay for abortions up to the moment of birth. Big abortion businesses like NARAL and Planned Parenthood have long argued that ERAs at the state level guarantee a right to taxpayer-funded abortions.

The president of the National Organization for Women argued, “The ERA would codify reproductive rights in the Constitution and greatly support low-income women who are the first to lose access to affordable birth control when family planning services are reduced.”

And today we know the ERA would be even worse for women, given the monumental fight in which we are engaged in an effort to protect women sports. Proponents of the ERA want to redefined the word “sex” in federal law opening the door for men who identify as women to hijack women’s rights, safety, and protections.

CWA is currently fighting in courts and legislatures around the country for the right of women in women’s shelter to prevent males from coming into their spaces, a development that could further aggravate the emotional and psychological pain of women who have suffered domestic abuse, rape, and even trafficking in some cases.

The bottom line is that the ERA continues to be a disaster for women and CWA is, once again, leading the fight against it to preserve the intrinsic and unique value of every woman. We won back then. And we will do so again.

Huge Win for CWA: Planned Parenthood Affiliate Finally Admits its Racists Roots

By | LBB, News and Events, Planned Parenthood, Sanctity of Life | No Comments

Concerned Women for America (CWA) has been fighting for years to expose Planned Parenthood’s (PP) legacy of death which has its roots in the racist eugenics movement. As PP celebrated 100 years a few years back, CWA launched a campaign called “100 No More,” exposing the organization’s racists founding through eugenicist Margaret Sanger. CWA also noted the disparate impact of PP’s policies on minority communities to this day.

Though African Americans are only 12.6% of the U.S. population, they make up 35.4% of all abortions, over 1 in 3. And census data shows that 79% of PP’s surgical abortion facilities are within walking distance of minority neighborhoods. Here is a shocking clip of Margaret Sanger in her own words]:

But PP and liberals have stood by Margaret Sanger’s side for decades. They defended her. They would even give out the infamous Margaret Sanger Award, which they called their “highest honor.” Proud recipients included Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-California) and Secretary Hillary Clinton.

 

The same liberals who prop themselves up as champions of minorities would fight us every time we would shed light on PP’s racist roots. They were proud when the Smithsonian put a bust of Margaret Sanger in the National Portrait Gallery. CWA fought them hard on it and called on them to remove it, yet they emphatically refused and were elated to have the pro-abortion display, ignoring the explicit racism attached to it.

But time has caught up to their lying, hypocritical schemes, and now they’ve been forced to acknowledge their racist legacy. The news just broke this week that Planned Parenthood of Greater New York (PPGNY) is being forced to remove the Margaret Sanger name from its abortion clinic as “a necessary and overdue step to reckon with our legacy and acknowledge Planned Parenthood’s contributions to historical reproductive harm within communities of color.”

The change does not come out of self-reflection, but out of pressure from its base. As The Washington Times reported, in a June 18 open letter, 350 current and former staff members and about 800 members wrote, “We know that Planned Parenthood has a history and a present steeped in white supremacy, and we, the staff, are motivated to do the difficult work needed to improve.”

In today’s climate, PP’s racism is no longer able to hide behind their friends in the media and the politicians they support. So, PPGNY has announced the removal of Sanger’s name, and perhaps we are seeing the beginning of the truth coming out. It is definitely an excellent development for truth and life.

The fact that it is the New York Planned Parenthood facility is significant. CWA has also talked about the deep abortion extremism in NYC, where more African American babies were killed by abortion (31,328) than born (24,758) in 2012. We can only hope that the city wakes up to this racial genocide and turns against the inherent racism within the pro-abortion movement.

To be sure, PP is only changing a name, while changing none of its racist policies, like opposing bills that have tried to ban abortions based on race. They have announced no willingness to change their shameful policy on taking money for abortions based on race.

CWA will continue to fight for justice for women. There is much work to be done to protect the inherent value of every human life. But perhaps this development shows us that Americans are starting to wake up to the abortion con and will demand change.

It is definitely something CWA had been hoping to see, and we give thanks to God for this small crack in Big Abortion’s stranglehold on our nation.

SCOTUS

Political Justice Strikes Again—June Medical v. Russo

By | Blog, Briefs, Legal, News and Events, Sanctity of Life, SCOTUS | No Comments

If there was any doubt about what the U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts’ era at the Supreme Court was all about, they were erased this week as the Court delivered its opinion in June Medical L.L.C v. Russo. Chief Justice Roberts represents the era of political justice, and it is as ugly as it sounds. Constitutional principles and law are not paramount. The Court’s perception before the radical left is what matters.

In June Medical, the Chief Justice declared a law unconstitutional, not because he thought it was unconstitutional, but because he believes to be consistent is more important than being right. He wrote, “I joined the dissent in Whole Woman’s Health and continue to believe that the case was wrongly decided. The question today however is not whether Whole Woman’s Health was right or wrong, but whether to adhere to it in deciding the present case.”

To be consistently wrong is a virtue in the Roberts’ era of political justice since it appeases the mob if only for a moment. Remember, this is a case dealing with abortion, a politically charged topic, and, as the Chief demonstrated in the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) cases, he will consider much more than the law to save the Court’s reputation.

In the context of abortion, the liberals in the Court, along with the Chief Justice, will abandon impartiality and twist the law to fit the outcome they want. Justice Anthony Kennedy (the former justice who “wrote the book” on political justice) actually admitted as much in Gonzales v. Carhart, the Partial Birth Abortion case, where he confessed:

It is true this longstanding maxim of statutory interpretation has, in the past, fallen by the wayside when the Court confronted a statute regulating abortion. The Court at times employed an antagonistic ‘canon of construction under which in cases involving abortion, a permissible reading of a statute [was] to be avoided at all costs.’

Roberts perpetuates the shameful legacy with this decision, upholding an erroneous precedent for the sake of appeasing the insatiable abortion mob.

The left has his number. They know he is susceptible to the slightest criticism of the Court. So you cannot blame them for making sure the threats are forceful and consistent. Just recently, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse submitted a reprehensible brief making all kinds of threats of “restructuring” the Court if they do not do as the left wants in controversial cases—gun control in that instance. He wrote, “The Supreme Court is not well. And the people know it. Perhaps the Court can heal itself before the public demands it be ‘restructured in order to reduce the influence of politics.’”

Guess what happened in that case and in several others involving gun laws? You guessed it; the Court shied away from delving into the topic. “Don’t want to appear political,” you see? So goes the political justice chorus on every controversial case where they face the mob.

Need another recent example? See the Bostock/Harris Debacle.

Chief Justice Roberts joined the liberal bloc of the Court to say this case was just like the one they heard four years ago “Whole Woman’s Health.” But as the dissenters pointed out, this is merely a copout. The Court did not even give proper consideration to the third-party standing issue, where the Court’s unusual approval of abortionist asserting a constitutional right they do not have has been allowed to go forth. The conclusory claim of stare decisis (precedent) solves all in the plurality’s view.

As Justice Clarence Thomas pointed out, ultimately, “those decisions created the right to abortion out of whole cloth, without a shred of support from the Constitution’s text.” Precedent didn’t really matter then.

Justice Thomas concluded, “The Constitution does not constrain the States’ ability to regulate or even prohibit abortion. This Court created the right to abortion based on an amorphous, unwritten right to privacy, which it grounded in the ‘legal fiction’ of substantive due process … As the origins of this jurisprudence readily demonstrate, the putative right to abortion is a creation that should be undone.”

Justices Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch, and Brett Kavanaugh also wrote to highlight the plurality’s distortion of the facts and the law to reach their preferred policy position. “Today’s decision doesn’t just overlook one of these rules. It overlooks one after another,” wrote Justice Gorsuch in dissent. “To arrive at today’s result, rules must be brushed aside and shortcuts taken.”

Political justice strikes again, leaving many victims on its way. Not the least of which is true justice itself.

SCOTUS Rally

The Bostock/Harris Debacle

By | Blog, Briefs, Case Vault, Legal, News and Events, Religious Liberty, SCOTUS | No Comments

One of the most disappointing things about the recent Supreme Court decision on the definition of “sex” in Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was the majority’s poor reasoning. The majority included Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Neil Gorsuch, along with the four liberal justices (Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor, and Elena Kagan).

Justice Neil Gorsuch, writing for the majority, does not dispute that the word “sex” in federal law means male and female. He indeed says, “The parties concede that the term ‘sex’ in 1964 referred to the biological distinctions between male and female.” Still, the majority argues that because homosexuality and transgenderism relate to “sex,” employment discrimination based on transgenderism or homosexuality is prohibited under the law.

The Court ignored the fact that Congress has considered and rejected protections explicitly based on those categories.

Simply put, the majority did what it wanted to do, not what the law demanded. Justice Samuel Alito, joined by Justice Clarence Thomas, filed a forceful dissent making the point. “There is only one word for what the Court has done today: legislation,” he wrote. Indeed.

This is extremely disappointing, especially in the case of Justice Gorsuch, because he had been up until now, a strong proponent of originalism or textualism, a legal philosophy that emphasizes sticking to the text of a statute. Unfortunately, he has shown now that he will deviate from that philosophy depending on the topic.

Justice Alito calls him out on it:

The Court attempts to pass off its decision as the inevitable product of the textualist school of statutory interpretation championed by our late colleague Justice Scalia, but no one should be fooled. The Court’s opinion is like a pirate ship. It sails under a textualist flag, but what it actually represents is a theory of statutory interpretation that Justice Scalia excoriated––the theory that courts should “update” old statutes so that they better reflect the current values of society.

Justice Brett Kavanaugh also saw the fallacy, writing in his own dissenting opinion, “Our role is not to make or amend the law. As written, Title VII does not prohibit employment discrimination because of sexual orientation.” It was a simple interpretive exercise unless a judge brings personal emotions into the mix.

One of the signs of the weakness of the majority’s argument was its dismissive attitude towards the opponents’ arguments. Despite the glaring problems with its interpretation, the majority simply declared that it was obvious that sexual orientation and gender identity were included. It was easy to see.  Justice Kavanaugh, again, showed how unserious the argument was: “Because judges interpret the law as written, not as they might wish it were written, the first 10 U. S. Courts of Appeals to consider whether Title VII prohibits sexual orientation discrimination all said no. Some 30 federal judges considered the question. All 30 judges said no, based on the text of the statute. 30 out of 30.”

They were all merely stupid, according to the majority. Same for Congress. No one intended to include sexual orientation or gender identity in the law. They debated whether to include it or not and rejected it. But the majority says they were just too naïve to know they were actually including it in the language.

File this decision among the worse in our history, right along with Obergefell v. Hodges, Roe v. Wade, and Dred Scott v. Sandford. The consequences will be devastating for our country. It will most certainly be used as a weapon against Christian conservatives. But this does not mean we allow it to be used in this way.

We must fight to limit its impact. The Court, indeed, as it always does when it knows it is doing wrong, tells us its impact is limited. Justice Gorsuch swears it will not affect religious liberty and that it does not involve other statues (like Title IX, in the women’s sports context). We must fight to make sure that is the case.

Right now, Concerned Women for America is in the middle of a big fight in regards to Title IX. We have two complaints with the Department of Education and are working on legislative fixes that could help mitigate the damage.

This case is thrusting us into a much bigger fight that is just beginning. A battle for reality. A struggle for truth. And as you know, Truth is on our side. Do not be discouraged. In the end, we will win.

This is not a time for timidity. It is time to redouble our efforts. Strengthen our resolve and stand on the Word of God. Join us in prayer for this fight and be part of the remnant of God in our country. There is power in the unity of the body of Christ (John 17:20-23).

A Privilege to Support Judge Walker for the D.C. Circuit

By | Blog, Judicial Nominations, Legal, News and Events | No Comments

President Donald Trump has given us great judicial nominees throughout his presidency. It has indeed been the best group we have ever seen. The vast majority have a proven track record of being Constitutionalists who are committed to upholding the Constitution and laws as written.

But every once in a while, an exceptional talent comes along that stands out as someone with an extraordinary intellect and understanding of our history and ideals. Judge Justin Walker is such a jurist. He is President Trump’s nominee to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, where Justice Kavanaugh used to serve. He currently serves as a federal district judge in the Western District of Kentucky.

As the nation wrestles with the constitutional limits of the power grab many mayors around the country are enjoying as the result of the coronavirus, Judge Walker stands out as a judge who understands the importance of our religious liberties as guaranteed by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

Going into Easter weekend, many mayors, including Kentucky’s Greg Fischer, wanted to prohibit Easter services, under threat of law.

On Holy Saturday, the day before Easter, the matter came before Judge Walker. A Church called “On Fire Christian Center” sued to enjoin Mayor Fischer from enforcing an executive order that prohibited them from gathering, even if they observe social distancing and also if they stayed in their cars and did a “drive-in church” service.

Judge Walker saw that for what it was, a great offense to the Constitution. He then proceeded to enter a temporary restraining order enjoining Mayor Fischer and the City of Louisville from enforcing compliance with their prohibition on “drive-in churches.” In doing so, he wrote a magnificent memorandum that showed complete command of the issue and highlighted its importance on our constitutional structure. I commend to you the entire document. Judge Walker did not hold back:

On Holy Thursday, an American mayor criminalized the communal celebration of Easter. That sentence is one that this Court never expected to see outside the pages of a dystopian novel, or perhaps the pages of The Onion. But two days ago, citing the need for social distancing during the current pandemic, Louisville’s Mayor Greg Fischer ordered Christians not to attend Sunday services, even if they remained in their cars to worship – and even though it’s Easter. The Mayor’s decision is stunning. And it is, “beyond all reason,” unconstitutional.

Judge Walker traced the history of religious discrimination that made us the great nation that we are. He wrote, “The Pilgrims were heirs to a long line of persecuted Christians, including some punished with prison or worse for the crime of celebrating Easter – and an even longer line of persecuted peoples of more ancient faiths.”

He explained the importance of religious freedom and the importance of Easter for Christians. He even showed great sensibility by noting that churches owed no explanation of their beliefs to the government.

The Christians of On Fire, however, owe no one an explanation for why they will gather together this Easter Sunday to celebrate what they believe to be a miracle and a mystery. True, they can attempt to explain it. True, they can try to teach. But to the nonbeliever, the Passion of Jesus – the betrayals, the torture, the state-sponsored murder of God’s only Son, and the empty tomb on the third day – makes no sense at all. And even to the believer, or at least to some of them, it can be incomprehensible as well. But for the men and women of On Fire, Christ’s sacrifice isn’t about the logic of this world. Nor is their Easter Sunday celebration. The reason they will be there for each other and their Lord is the reason they believe He was and is there for us. For them, for all believers, “it isn’t a matter of reason; finally, it’s a matter of love.”

Writing this way, Judge Walker displays great respect not only for the Constitution but also for religious communities (for Christians), which is unfortunately so rare with so many today.

That is why we should be ecstatic to see Judge Walker elevated to the D.C. Circuit. Let us pray for him and the attacks he will surely get for speaking boldly in favor of religious liberty.

Save The Date! CWA of Pennsylvania to Host State-Wide Virtual Prayer/Action Meeting

By | Pennsylvania, States | No Comments

Concerned Women for America (CWA) of Pennsylvania is looking forward to our first-ever state-wide virtual Prayer/Action meeting!  We are well on our way to establishing a strong state organization to help our members across the state to bring Biblical principles into public policy. As you are aware, there is a cultural battle raging across our great state and country, and CWA of Pennsylvania is preparing to be on the frontline to protect those values through prayer and action. Will you join us?

I invite you to join this special Prayer/Action Meeting on Thursday, May 21. It will be a wonderful time to learn firsthand about the work we do here in the state, how you can get involved, how you can advocate for the conservative social issues that matter to you, and to pray for our state and country.

Join Vanessa Saylor, CWA of Pennsylvania’s Chapter Coordinator, and me as we welcome Tanya Ditty, CWA’s Vice President of Field Operations and guest speaker Mario Diaz, CWA’s General Counsel and Constitutional Law Expert. We are bombarded daily with a flurry of contradicting reports from the mainstream media. Now more than ever we are in a truth crisis. I was taught that truth has a sound and as God’s people, we must separate truth from the flood of destructive reports we hear. Mario will share on this topic and address the question, “Is the Media the Enemy of the People?”

We are stronger together, and I look forward to linking arms with you for such a time as this!

Mark your calendar and be sure to invite your network of friends. You don’t want to miss this meeting!

Event Details:
Date: Thursday, May 21
Time: 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Location: Virtual – Anywhere You Are!
Cost: Free
RSVP: Click here to register.
Upon registration, we will email you the link to the virtual meeting in addition to a phone number for those who would like to call into the meeting.

Join us in making an impact in our community, state, and nation for the glory of God.

Dilonna Coran
State Director

The U.S. Constitution – Part 3

By | Blog, Legal, News and Events | No Comments

Concerned Women for America (CWA) General Counsel Mario Diaz, Esq. continues his journey helping us understand America’s founding documents and the principles which guard our liberty. Part III delves into Article II of the Constitution, which focuses on the Executive Branch.

Part IV is scheduled for release on May 20 at 3PM on Facebook Live. Be sure to follow us on Facebook so you can be notified to join us live!

The U.S. Constitution Series – Part II

The U.S. Constitution Series – Part I

The Constitution was Made for Covid-19

By | Blog, CEO, Culture, News and Events | No Comments

CWA’s CEO and President Penny Nance and our General Counsel Mario Diaz co-authored this opinion piece published in TownHall.

“The genius of the U.S Constitution is that it was designed to withstand the pressures of crises. It was a document born of conflict, and the Founders wrote it intending to curtail the human excesses and abuses that tend to come to the surface in times like the one we are living right now.

Fear, insecurity, and perceived need shake us to the core as human beings and, if we are not careful, these times may push us to be willing to enter into oppressive agreements that will ultimately enslave us. It’s part of the human condition that men love power and find it difficult to resist overreach. That is why, now more than ever, we must cling to the principles of liberty embodied in our Constitution. In times of crisis, the overextended hand of nanny state makes citizens feel safe, but that same power can easily morph into a fist.”

Read Penny and Mario’s Entire Piece Here: