California —
“FFRF helped put a stop to Huntington Beach’s unconstitutional financially backed “Constitution Alive! Constitutional Defense” course, which was being run by an overtly Christian organization.
A Huntington Beach resident informed FFRF that in late August 2025, the Huntington Beach website and Facebook page advertised a “Patriot Academy” course titled, “Constitution Alive! Constitutional Defense,” by Rick Green. FFRF learned that this was the second instance of the course in 2025 at the Huntington Beach Public Library. Reportedly, Patriot Academy was not paying rent, as the class was a “city-sponsored program” initiated by the city’s Celebration Committee. Typically, third parties renting library space must pay for rentals pursuant to the library’s fee schedule.
According to the FFRF complainant, although the course was being presented as an academic and objective presentation of the U.S. Constitution, it was promoting explicitly religious ideology, including the claim that the United States is a Christian country. Patriot Academy’s own website explicitly advertises: “YOU can be part of the solution by starting the restoration of Biblical & Constitutional principles in YOUR community.” The organization makes blatantly religious claims, such as “God has blessed America with a strong biblical foundation,” and advocating “faith-based constitutional politics.”
“When the city advertises and sponsors an explicitly religious event via its official social media, and gives the organization behind it special rental terms, it displays clear preferential treatment for religion over nonreligion, and, in this case, Chris-tianity over all other faiths,” FFRF Staff Attorney Sammi Lawrence wrote to Mayor Pat Burns.
Despite FFRF’s letter, Burns never responded or addressed the resident’s concern in a formal manner. However, the individual who first brought the issue to FFRF’s attention kept in contact after the incident, bringing news that change had occurred.
“I’m happy to report that the city of Huntington Beach is no longer hosting Patriot Academy in our public library,” they wrote. “It is also not promoting it via the city calendar as it did in 2025. I am certain your warning letter played a major role in stopping them from sponsoring this seven-week course.””
