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	<title>First Liberty</title>
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	<title>First Liberty</title>
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		<title>Woke CVS Gets Worse</title>
		<link>https://illinoisfamilyaction.org/2024/03/woke-cvs-gets-worse/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[David E. Smith]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 28 Mar 2024 15:00:11 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Religious Liberty]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sanctity of Life]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[CVS Minute Clinic]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[First Liberty]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Gunna Kristofersdottir]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Robyn Strader]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Stephanie Taub]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tabitha Harrington]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://illinoisfamilyaction.org/?p=25990</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p><em>Written by David E. Smith</em></p>
<p>Why does CVS want to force employees to violate their religiously informed conscience? Why would they terminate a faithful, high performing health care professional of more than 20 years? Why would CVS previously grant a religious accommodation from prescribing contraceptive abortifacients from 2014 to 2022 and then abruptly revoke it?</p>
<p>Why would they fire a wonderful employee because of her sincerely held religious beliefs and open themselves up to a civil rights lawsuit?&#8230; <a href="https://illinoisfamilyaction.org/2024/03/woke-cvs-gets-worse/" class="read-more">Continue Reading </a></p>]]></description>
		
		
		
		<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">25990</post-id>	</item>
		<item>
		<title>Exposing the Radical Effort to Destabilize the Supreme Court</title>
		<link>https://illinoisfamilyaction.org/2023/05/exposing-the-radical-effort-to-destabilize-the-supreme-court/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[David E. Smith]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 12 May 2023 15:00:40 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Federal Issues]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Judicial Branch]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Amy Coney Barrett]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bill Clinton]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Brett Kavanaugh]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Chuck Schumer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Clarence Thomas]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[court packing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Dick Durbin]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Elizabeth Warren]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[First Liberty]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hank Johnson]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Michael Mukasey]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mike Berry]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Neil Gorsuch]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Samuel Alito]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[SCOTUS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sheldon Whitehouse]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sonia Sotomayor]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Stephen Breyer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Thomas Jipping]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[U.S. Supreme Court]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://staging.illinoisfamilyaction.org/?p=23596</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p><em>Written by Jorge Gomez</em></p>
<p>The U.S. Supreme Court is under all-out attack. Recent headlines reveal a concerted effort to manufacture an “ethics” scandal about Justice <strong>Clarence Thomas</strong>, the Court’s leading conservative and one of the foremost defenders of religious liberty. Justice <strong>Neil Gorsuch</strong> has also been the target of this smear campaign.</p>
<p>Democrats in Congress, along with their allies in left-wing radical groups and the media, are bringing back calls for radical court “reform.” A constitutionally suspect “judicial ethics” bill was introduced and the U.S.&#8230; <a href="https://illinoisfamilyaction.org/2023/05/exposing-the-radical-effort-to-destabilize-the-supreme-court/" class="read-more">Continue Reading </a></p>]]></description>
		
		
		
		<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">23596</post-id>	</item>
		<item>
		<title>Radical Groups Renewing Effort to “Reform” the U.S. Supreme Court</title>
		<link>https://illinoisfamilyaction.org/2023/04/radical-groups-renewing-effort-to-reform-the-u-s-supreme-court/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[David E. Smith]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 28 Apr 2023 13:00:03 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ayanna Pressley]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ed Markey]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Elizabeth Warren]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[First Liberty]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Just Majority]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[NARAL Pro-Choice America]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Supreme Coup]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ted Cruz]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tom Cotton]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://staging.illinoisfamilyaction.org/?p=23536</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p><em>Written by Jorge Gomez</em></p>
<p>Are court packing and radical “court reform” making a comeback? A coalition of 30+ activist organizations <a href="https://www.bostonherald.com/2023/04/24/mass-dems-launch-supreme-court-reform-bus-tour-push-expanded-court/" target="_blank" rel="external noopener noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external" data-feathr-click-track="true" data-feathr-link-aids="[&#34;61bcd6cd9eb00044a676f96b&#34;]">relaunched</a> an effort calling for “structural changes” to the U.S. Supreme Court.</p>
<p>They kicked off their “<a href="https://justmajority.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Just Majority</a>” campaign this week in Boston alongside Massachusetts U.S. Senator <strong>Ed Markey</strong>, U.S. Senator <strong>Elizabeth Warren</strong> and U.S. Representative <strong>Ayanna Pressley</strong>. This is the first stop in a nationwide bus tour scheduled to end in late June in Washington.&#8230; <a href="https://illinoisfamilyaction.org/2023/04/radical-groups-renewing-effort-to-reform-the-u-s-supreme-court/" class="read-more">Continue Reading </a></p>]]></description>
		
		
		
		<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">23536</post-id>	</item>
		<item>
		<title>Are Banks Going Woke and Canceling Religious Customers?</title>
		<link>https://illinoisfamilyaction.org/2022/10/are-banks-going-woke-and-canceling-religious-customers/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[David E. Smith]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 28 Oct 2022 15:00:12 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Faith & Religion]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Chase Bank]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[First Liberty]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jamie Dimon]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[National Committee for Religious Freedom]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sam Brownback]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Christian Post]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Washington Examiner]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://staging.illinoisfamilyaction.org/?p=22347</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p><em>Written by Jorge Gomez</em></p>
<p>Radical cancel culture is one of the most destructive forces in America today. It’s no secret it has infiltrated virtually every sphere of our lives, whether our public schools, colleges, government institutions or corporations. There is an ever-growing number of religious employees and business owners—many whom <a href="https://firstliberty.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">First Liberty</a> represents and is fighting for—who’ve lost their livelihoods at the hands of this extreme and toxic ideology.</p>
<p>Woke corporate culture, however, is moving beyond purging religious employees.&#8230; <a href="https://illinoisfamilyaction.org/2022/10/are-banks-going-woke-and-canceling-religious-customers/" class="read-more">Continue Reading </a></p>]]></description>
		
		
		
		<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">22347</post-id>	</item>
		<item>
		<title>Military Officials Keep Punishing Religious Service Members</title>
		<link>https://illinoisfamilyaction.org/2022/02/military-officials-keep-punishing-religious-service-members/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[David E. Smith]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sat, 26 Feb 2022 10:00:58 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Religious Liberty]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Department of Defense]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[First Liberty]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Naval Special Warfare]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Navy SEALs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Religious exemption]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Steven Merryday]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://staging.illinoisfamilyaction.org/?p=19140</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p><em>Written by Jorge Gomez</em></p>
<p>A federal judge recently issued a temporary order preventing disciplinary action against two officers who requested a religious accommodation to the military vaccine mandate.</p>
<p>Judge <strong>Steven Merryday</strong>—serving on the District Court for the Middle District of Florida—strongly rebuked the military’s approach to religious accommodation requests. His <a href="https://lc.org/020222DODOrderonTRO.pdf" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external" data-feathr-click-track="true">order</a> stated:</p>
<blockquote><p><em>“The military is well aware of the frailty of their arguments in defense of their practices… The two service members are very likely to prevail on their claim that their respective branch of the military has wrongfully denied a religious exemption from COVID-19 vaccination.</em></p></blockquote>&#8230; <a href="https://illinoisfamilyaction.org/2022/02/military-officials-keep-punishing-religious-service-members/" class="read-more">Continue Reading </a>]]></description>
		
		
		
		<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">19140</post-id>	</item>
		<item>
		<title>Recent Wave of Biden Judges Flips Two Appellate Courts to a Liberal Majority</title>
		<link>https://illinoisfamilyaction.org/2021/11/recent-wave-of-biden-judges-flips-two-appellate-courts-to-a-liberal-majority/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[David E. Smith]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 05 Nov 2021 12:00:08 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Federal Issues]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Judicial Branch]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[appellate court]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Beth Robinson]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Donald Trump]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[federal court]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[First Liberty]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Joe Biden]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Judicial Nominations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[U.S. Court of Appeals]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[U.S. Senate]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[U.S. Supreme Court]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://staging.illinoisfamilyaction.org/?p=18347</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p><em>Written by Jorge Gomez</em></p>
<p>In the biggest wave of judicial confirmations so far, the U.S. Senate recently confirmed nine (9) nominees to the federal courts. This brings the total number of judges appointed during the Biden administration to twenty-eight (28), which means the President continues outpacing his predecessors by sizeable margins.</p>
<p>Here’s a quick look at judicial confirmations at this point in a President’s first year, dating back to the Reagan administration:</p>
<p><img decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-38341 aligncenter" src="https://firstliberty.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/FL-INSIDER-11-05-SEC-4-INFO-GRAPHICS-1200x630-1.jpg" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" srcset="https://firstliberty.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/FL-INSIDER-11-05-SEC-4-INFO-GRAPHICS-1200x630-1.jpg 600w, https://firstliberty.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/FL-INSIDER-11-05-SEC-4-INFO-GRAPHICS-1200x630-1-300x243.jpg 300w, https://firstliberty.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/FL-INSIDER-11-05-SEC-4-INFO-GRAPHICS-1200x630-1-400x323.jpg 400w" alt="Fl Insider &#124; Biden Nominee Infographs" width="600" /></p>
<p>President Biden is having a relative measure of success up to this point in his presidency, with some judicial analysts calling his confirmations “historic.”&#8230; <a href="https://illinoisfamilyaction.org/2021/11/recent-wave-of-biden-judges-flips-two-appellate-courts-to-a-liberal-majority/" class="read-more">Continue Reading </a></p>]]></description>
		
		
		
		<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">18347</post-id>	</item>
		<item>
		<title>Justices Barrett and Breyer Speak Out Against Court-Packing Threats</title>
		<link>https://illinoisfamilyaction.org/2021/09/justices-barrett-and-breyer-speak-out-against-court-packing-threats/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[David E. Smith]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sat, 18 Sep 2021 15:00:40 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Federal Issues]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Judicial Branch]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Amy Coney Barrett]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[First Liberty]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Fox News]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[SCOTUS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Stephen Breyer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[U.S. Supreme Court]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[University of Louisville]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://staging.illinoisfamilyaction.org/?p=18105</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p><em>Written by Jorge Gomez</em></p>
<p>As members of the Democratic Party recently <a href="https://firstliberty.org/news/democrats-reignite-court-packing-plot/" target="_self" rel="follow noopener noreferrer" data-wpel-link="internal">doubled down</a> on their calls to pack the U.S. Supreme Court, Justices <strong>Stephen Breyer</strong> and <strong>Amy Coney Barrett</strong> issued a series of responses to those pushing to rig the Court for ideological and political gain.</p>
<p>In an <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/transcript/fox-news-sunday-on-september-12-2021" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">interview with Fox News</a>, Justice Breyer warned of the dangers of altering the structure of the Court. When asked about the idea of increasing the number of justices on the bench, he responded:</p>
<blockquote><p><em>“Well, if one party could do it, I guess another party could do it…On the surface it seems to me you start changing all these things around, and people will lose trust in the court.”</em></p></blockquote>&#8230; <a href="https://illinoisfamilyaction.org/2021/09/justices-barrett-and-breyer-speak-out-against-court-packing-threats/" class="read-more">Continue Reading </a>]]></description>
		
		
		
		<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">18105</post-id>	</item>
		<item>
		<title>Why June Could be Decisive for Religious Freedom and the Future of the Nation’s Highest Court</title>
		<link>https://illinoisfamilyaction.org/2021/06/why-june-could-be-decisive-for-religious-freedom-and-the-future-of-the-nations-highest-court/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[David E. Smith]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sat, 12 Jun 2021 10:00:09 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Religious Liberty]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Americans For Prosperity v. Becerra]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Catholic Social Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Citizen Power Initiatives for China]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[education choice]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[First Liberty]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Fulton v. Philadelphia]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Joe Biden]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[North American Mission Board]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Richard Blumenthal]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Roe v. Wade]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[school choice]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[SCOTUS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Stephen Breyer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[U.S. Supreme Court]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://staging.illinoisfamilyaction.org/?p=17635</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p><em>Written by Jorge Gomez</em></p>
<p>June could be a critical month for religious freedom in America like never before. Over the next few weeks, the U.S. Supreme Court is likely to release most of the decisions for its current term—including cases in which <a href="https://firstliberty.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">First Liberty</a> is fighting to defend people of faith and religious organizations.</p>
<p>Below, we’ll recap several First Amendment cases pending before the nation’s highest court and how the outcome in each of these could be a turning point for the constitutional freedoms of millions of Americans.&#8230; <a href="https://illinoisfamilyaction.org/2021/06/why-june-could-be-decisive-for-religious-freedom-and-the-future-of-the-nations-highest-court/" class="read-more">Continue Reading </a></p>]]></description>
		
		
		
		<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">17635</post-id>	</item>
		<item>
		<title>Why Online Church Could be a Bad Thing for Religious Freedom in the Long-Term</title>
		<link>https://illinoisfamilyaction.org/2020/04/why-online-church-could-be-a-bad-thing-for-religious-freedom-in-the-long-term/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[David E. Smith]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sat, 25 Apr 2020 09:00:11 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Religious Liberty]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Constitutional Convention]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[First Amendment]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[First Liberty]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[James Madison]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Online Church]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[religious liberty]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Second Great Awakening]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Thomas Jefferson]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://staging.illinoisfamilyaction.org/?p=13938</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p><em>Written by Jorge Gomez</em></p>
<p>Let’s start by giving credit where it’s due.</p>
<p>It’s admirable that houses of worship can adapt so quickly in times of crisis. Millions of Americans are staying spiritually engaged thanks to the incredible effort of churches and faith leaders who harnessed the power of technology, social media and the Internet. Even more remarkable is that churches surpassed virtual attendance records even though the quarantine forced them to transition overnight to online services.&#8230; <a href="https://illinoisfamilyaction.org/2020/04/why-online-church-could-be-a-bad-thing-for-religious-freedom-in-the-long-term/" class="read-more">Continue Reading </a></p>]]></description>
		
		
		
		<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">13938</post-id>	</item>
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