People often speculate with each other about what they would save from their house in the event of a fire. It’s a question that nations, as well as people, might ask themselves, especially in times as fiery and heated as those engulfing America today.
We would submit that the thing most worth saving in our nation is our Constitution and the crucial freedoms it was designed to protect. That may seem obvious to any thoughtful person, but, in fact, the legal protections we have so long cherished — and yet, too often, taken for granted — are as endangered now as they have been at any point in our nation’s history.
The freedom to express and live out our faith openly, to raise our children according to our deepest values and convictions, to speak of our beliefs openly, and to refrain from endorsing or promoting ideas with which we disagree — these and so many other beloved liberties are woven into the DNA of our country, and yet they’re being challenged daily in our courtrooms by those who seem to hold our heritage, history, and legal foundations in contempt.
A growing number of legal and religious groups are stepping forward to meet those challenges effectively and preserve our freedoms. We are honored to lead one of the most successful of those organizations: Alliance Defending Freedom.
That success — measured in part by a $100 million budget and a record of 14 Supreme Court wins over the last 11 years — didn’t come overnight.
ADF was born nearly 30 years ago in response to the growing cultural antipathy for religious freedom and legal antagonism toward originalism in interpreting the Constitution. Originally envisioned as a funding resource for other attorneys, in time it established its own corps of lawyers as a formidable legal bulwark defending religious freedom, free speech, parental rights, and the sanctity of life nationwide and, eventually, around the world via ADF International.
Increasingly, though, ADF has moved from a primarily defensive posture (we received more than 10,500 requests for legal assistance last year) to a more proactive strategy, filing pre-enforcement lawsuits to help build precedents, initiating cooperation with state legislators, and moving to counter false narratives in the courtroom of public opinion.
It’s a strategy that contributed significantly to the Supreme Court’s Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision that overturned Roe v. Wade earlier this year. ADF attorneys played a key role in nearly every aspect of that case, from the conception of the original Mississippi legislation to serving on the state’s legal team at the Supreme Court.
Dobbs also highlights another hallmark of the successful ADF approach. We’ve built alliances between the organization and other ministries, elected officials and legislators, family policy councils, churches, and Christian attorneys who work alongside each other to accomplish what none of them can do alone: protect life and families and preserve religious freedom in America.
It’s a team effort, the impact and objectives of which continue to draw increasing fire from the Left, as activists committed to revising the Constitution, expanding abortion, undermining parental rights, and silencing free expressions of faith are steadily stepping up their efforts to intimidate people and torch the reputations of those, like ADF, standing against them.
Meeting those challenges while uniting allies to build on a successful legal strategy is a daunting responsibility but one that both of us have embraced, which is, in part, why one of us can confidently hand the baton of leadership to the other.
Effective Oct. 1, Kristen, a nine-year veteran of ADF who currently serves as general counsel and leader of the firm’s legal and communications teams, will become the next person to serve as president and CEO of the organization. She follows Michael, who first took the reins of ADF nearly six years ago upon the retirement of founding ADF President and CEO Alan Sears, who hired Kristen.
During our time at ADF, one of us (Michael) successfully argued before the Supreme Court, and the other of us (Kristen) did so twice — and is slated to argue a third time this fall. We have no illusions about what she’s up against in this new capacity of leading so many who are willing to run toward the fires that threaten America’s most cherished possessions.
It is an incredible privilege to work with colleagues and to represent clients around the world who courageously and winsomely advocate the right of all people to speak freely, to live according to their religious beliefs, and to partner with our allies and ministry friends to protect these God-given rights. We believe this exciting and pivotal moment positions ADF well for the future, and we both look forward, by the grace of God, to an even more powerful alliance to meet the formidable challenges ahead and to answer the grave threats posed to our fundamental freedoms.
ADF works to speak the truth in a world of lies, to spread kindness in a world of division and brokenness, and to provide a voice to the voiceless. Like all of those engaged in the struggle for the soul of America, we do not lack for work.
Kristen Waggoner is the incoming president and CEO, and Michael Farris is the outgoing president and CEO of Alliance Defending Freedom (@ADFLegal).
