A Banner Year for Liberty… But Much More to Do
Lori Roman
December 13, 2022
The American Constitutional Rights Union has had a banner year for the cause of liberty and election integrity with our legal initiatives.
This year brought us the critical decision in the New York State Rifle & Pistol Association, Inc. v. Bruen case, where the United States Supreme Court held that New York’s requirement that a prospective gun holder show proper cause to obtain a license to have and carry a concealed pistol or revolver violates the Second Amendment. The Court noted that the Second and Fourteenth Amendments protect the right to bear arms from infringement by the federal and state governments. This was one of many cases ACRU has joined to support the Constitutional right to keep and bear arms.
ACRU filed an amicus brief in support of Coach Joe Kennedy, who lost his teaching job because he knelt and said a quiet prayer by himself after a football game ended. We were proud to be a part of this important victory at the Supreme Court, protecting Coach Kennedy’s rights and those of all Americans.
ACRU, joined by the Alabama Center for Law and Liberty, filed a friend-of-the-court brief in the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit in support of Florida as it defended race-neutral laws regulating drop boxes for vote-by-mail ballots, the return of voter registration forms, and activity at or near a polling place—an essential win for fair elections.
In Loudoun County, Virginia, ACRU assisted a junior high student whose parent reached out to us after the student had been punished and suspended for not wearing a mask, even after Gov. Youngkin had lifted the mask mandate by executive order. ACRU joined a lawsuit that saw a decisive victory for parental rights, ending the mask mandate executed against state Executive Order. ACRU’s action eliminated the practice of placing these students in solitary confinement, restricting their access to education, and imposing all manner of strict penalties on students and parents.
In January 2020, ACRU launched an important program that was a completely new concept in the nation–protecting vulnerable voting populations, most of whom are in residential facilities. Growing in strength, this Protect Vulnerable Voters project has led to thousands of people across the country being trained to protect vulnerable voters. ACRU’s unique program involves legal notices to nursing homes and other residential facilities, as well as training materials, training, and direct outreach. Our Citizen and Family Guide to Protecting Vulnerable Voters has been used all over the country to protect voters. And our Center for Vulnerable Voters and our Vote Fraud Hotline are important resources to people across the country.
This is just a quick and partial report on an eventful year! Thank you for your support.