On October 19, 2023 FFRF filed a 5th Circuit Court of Appeals amicus brief on behalf of Southwest Airlines. This brief argued against a district judge’s order compelling Southwest Airlines attorneys to attend “religious liberty training” hosted by Christian nationalist organization Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF). The district court judge ordered the training after finding Southwest in contempt based on the wording the airline chose for a non-discrimination notice that the judge previously ordered Southwest to issue to its employees.
The brief argued that the required training was highly unusual and an abuse of the court’s discretion because ADF is an ideological advocacy organization with strong Christian ties. It goes on to argue that allowing the district court’s order to stand would set a dangerous precedent that would be ripe for abuse.
This brief was primarily drafted by Legal Fellow Sammi Lawrence with Senior Counsel Patrick Elliott and Associate Counsel Sam Grover.
