The Common Good Legal Defense Fund (CGLDF) defends religious freedom as a fundamental human right, rooted in the Natural Law and secured by the First Amendment to the Bill of Rights of the US Constitution. CGLDF responds to threats to religious freedom which place religious institutions, associations and citizens at risk.
The Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the Bill of Rights precludes the establishment of a National Church and forced adherence to its doctrine. It best understood as an Anti-Establishment Clause. The clause is undermined by any interpretation of Church/State separation which discriminates against people of faith by censoring religious speech and expression in the public square.
The Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment protects religious institutions, associations and people of faith. Religious citizens have a right to full participation in civil society. That participation is not confined to worship or kept behind the four walls of a church or religious facility. It includes speaking, living, associating and participating in politics, education, culture and commerce.
The Free Speech clause as well as the rights to a free press and free association are at risk when both the message and the messenger are unjustly scrutinized, censored or subjected to prior restraint when the State deems they contain a religious or moral message. Such a view is unconstitutional.
CGLDF is a project of the Common Good Foundation, a 501c3 tax exempt organization.
Keith A Fournier, Esq.
Attorney Fournier was the founding Executive Director of the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ). He is a human rights and constitutional law attorney and currently serves as Special Counsel to Liberty Counsel. he has made several appearances as co-counsel at the U.S. Supreme Court on Constitutional cases and in multiple appeals courts. A 1980 graduate of the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, Fournier has practiced law for 35 years. As Chief Counsel to CGLDF, Fournier will be responsible for all legal matters which CGLDF participates in, from Friend of the Court briefs to legal matters serving the public interest.