The Istook Amendment battle focused attention on the ongoing, aggressive movement to undermine the separation of church and state in this country. In the wake of the amendment's defeat, ADL began to implement an integrated plan of action to defend religious freedom and church-state separation against the threats of the religious right. The plan has five key elements: public education, community outreach, coalition building, legislative activity and legal advocacy. It was developed under the auspices of the ADL Robert Reeves Institute for First Amendment Freedoms.

In public and behind the scenes, from local schools to the halls of Congress, ADL's stated position remains firm: defending church-state separation ­ in the League's words, "the foundation of religious freedom in our country" ­ against "organizations seeking to impose their religious orthodoxy on the nation."