Religious employers and the legal defense firm Alliance Defending Freedom are enjoying a major victory as the Biden-Harris administration has agreed to pay $210,000 in attorneys’ fees and costs, concluding a lawsuit brought by the Christian Employers Alliance (CEA) against federal mandates requiring coverage and performance of gender transition procedures.
The case highlights the ongoing battle for religious freedom protection in healthcare and employment.
What is Alliance Defending Freedom?
Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) is an alliance-building, non-profit legal organization committed to protecting religious freedom, free speech, parental rights, marriage and family, and the sanctity of life.
Alliance Defending Freedom Church & Ministry Alliance, a specialized division of Alliance Defending Freedom, offers specialized legal assistance to faith-based organizations. This dedicated unit focuses on safeguarding the essential freedoms of religious institutions, working to ensure they can freely exercise and articulate their beliefs.
The lawsuit, Christian Employers Alliance v. U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, was filed in October 2021 in the U.S. District Court for the District of North Dakota. The Christian Employers Alliance represented by Alliance Defending Freedom attorneys, challenged two key mandates imposed by the Biden administration.
The first mandate stemmed from an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) interpretation of Title VII, which would require employers to provide health insurance coverage for gender transition surgeries and procedures. The second mandate arose from a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) reinterpretation of “sex” in federal law to include gender identity. The reinterpretation would compel healthcare providers receiving federal funding to perform or facilitate gender transition surgeries and procedures.
Alliance Defending Freedom attorneys representing CEA argued that these mandates violated their clients’ religious beliefs, which hold that God created humans as either male or female, and substantially burdened their clients’ religious beliefs by forcing them to choose between adhering to their faith and facing significant financial penalties or violating their beliefs to comply with the regulations.
On March 4, 2024, U.S. District Judge Daniel M. Traynor ruled in favor of CEA, issuing a permanent injunction against the enforcement of these mandates on the alliance’s members. In his decision, Judge Traynor wrote, “CEA’s religious beliefs are substantially burdened by the monetary penalties it faces for refusing to violate its beliefs.” He further emphasized that “religious freedom cannot be encumbered on a case-by-case basis.”
The ruling effectively prevents the Biden administration from forcing CEA members to pay for or perform gender transition procedures that conflict with their religious beliefs.
In a statement on Alliance Defending Freedom Media, Matt Bowman, ADF Senior Counsel and Director of Regulatory Practice hailed the decision as a victory for religious freedom, saying, “All employers and healthcare providers, including those in the Christian Employers Alliance, have the constitutionally protected freedom to conduct their business and render treatment in a manner consistent with their deeply held religious beliefs.”
“The employers we represent believe that God purposefully created humans as either male or female, and so it would violate their religious beliefs to pay for or perform life-altering medical procedures or surgeries that seek to change one’s sex. We’re pleased to favorably conclude this lawsuit on behalf of our clients and hold the administration accountable for trying to force unlawful mandates that disrespect people of faith,” Bowman added.
The agreement by the Biden-Harris administration to pay $210,000 in attorneys’ fees and costs, announced on September 25, 2024, coupled with the court’s permanent injunction, led ADF attorneys to file a stipulated dismissal of the remaining claims in the case.
