The following is a news release from Liberty Council  http://www.lc.org

NY Gov. Kathy Hochul forced businesses to close because of their Christian faith  

Liberty Counsel is holding Hochul accountable to the U.S. Supreme Court. 

NY Gov. Kathy Hochul believes that she has the power to REVOKE the religious freedom rights enumerated in the U.S. Constitution and protected by federal law any time she wants. 

NY Gov. Kathy Hochul forced a Christian nursing home out of business, specifically because of the home’s Christian mission. 

Liberty Counsel has teed up Hochul’s unlawful order to the U.S. Supreme Court. This coming Friday, the High Court will conference on this case again to determine if they will take up this case this term. This is the SEVENTH time the Justices have conferenced on this case, and I believe it to be a good sign that they will put this case on the calendar for oral arguments soon. We need your prayers and direct financial support to win! 

Religious freedom is on the line! Will you help? Donate today and a special Year-End Challenge Grant will DOUBLE the impact!

For 50 years, Pinecrest Home for Adults provided round-the-clock skilled medical care to the patients in their Christian nursing home. Patients and staff alike chose Pinecrest specifically for its Christian environment, and they became like family, daily serving and worshipping the Lord together.

If we lose this case, the consequences will be staggering — not just for New York, but for every American.

The Case: Does v. Hochul

Peter Hanan, a faithful Christian who ran a small senior living center in New York, was told he and his staff must violate their religious convictions or lose their jobs and business licenses. Despite clear federal protections under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, NY Gov. Hochul ordered employers like Pinecrest to deny ALL religious exemptions to the COVID shot — or face daily fines, license revocation, and forced closure.

She ran them out of business over their faith…

Peter and the Pinecrest board of directors refused to force their employees to violate their Christian convictions against taking an untested, abortion-linked, and now-proven-dangerous shot. Not only would such an action be in violation of federal Title VII religious freedom law, but it also went against everything this Christian business stood for over 50 years.

Don’t let woke governors run Christians out of business!

Pinecrest was facing fines of 1,000 dollars per day per employee for honoring their Christian convictions. Peter met with the board of directors for guidance. They could not afford to pay the fines. They could not violate clear federal law. Most of all, they could not violate their consciences and Christian beliefs.

Pinecrest was forced to close the nursing home and scramble to help families find places for their elderly parents and grandparents to live. Many of the patients were “memory care” patients, which made moving even more tragic.

Hochul’s actions were a direct violation of federal law, and it’s not just affecting Peter and Pinecrest employees. Thousands of health care workers were fired for refusing the shot on religious grounds. Hochul allowed medical exemptions — but unlawfully banned religious exemptions.

Another one of our plaintiffs in this case had received a religious exemption from vaccines, including COVID, for each of the last 10 years. But despite working remotely from home, his exemption was revoked during COVID and he lost his job, thanks to Hochul’s abuses.

Five years after the COVID crisis, New York Governor Kathy Hochul is still trampling religious freedom. She refuses to accept clear federal law and enumerated constitutional rights that guarantee religious freedom. This is not just about COVID anymore. It’s about whether any state can override federal law and force citizens to violate their deeply held religious beliefs.

If Hochul’s actions go unchecked, any state could revoke federal and constitutional religious freedom rights at will.

We cannot allow that to happen. Help us stop NY Gov. Kathy Hochul — and all other abusers of religious freedom — in their tracks.

Liberty Counsel never charges clients for legal representation. We rely on generous supporters like you to defend religious liberty — and right now, a special Challenge Grant will DOUBLE the impact of every donation.

Please give today and stand with us in this critical battle.

Mat Staver
Founder and Chairman
Liberty Counsel

TAKE ACTION

Pray for our case before the Supreme Court. And don’t forget — every donation today will be DOUBLED by the Challenge Grant!