Recognizing the central role of religion in American life, ADL works to preserve the wall between church and state, which is enshrined in the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. This goes to the heart of our role as a civil rights organization, dedicated to protecting the rights and security of all citizens, especially religious minorities. ADL believes that church-state separation encourages religious expression by allowing all citizens to practice their faith without government interference. Jews, in particular, have known all too well what can happen when the state gives official approval to one religion and excludes all others.

This emphasis on inclusion was behind ADL's criticism when matters of private faith began to cross the line during the 2000 presidential campaign. Ultimately, the League wrote letters of concern to the Democratic candidate, Vice President Al Gore, for his remark that he often asked himself "What would Jesus do?" when making decisions, and to his Republican opponent, Texas Gov. George W. Bush, for naming Jesus as the "political philosopher" who had most influenced him. And while ADL applauded the choice of Sen. Joseph Lieberman as the first Jewish candidate on a national major party ticket, we objected when he made the assertions that "there must and can be a constitutional place for faith in our public life" and that morality cannot "be maintained without religion."

Sen. Lieberman subsequently explained, "I also know people who are not religious who I consider to be extremely moral."

PROMOTING RELIGIOUS FREEDOM IN COURT

ADL took our fight for democratic ideals to the courts. The League filed an amicus curiae ("friend of the court") brief in a major Supreme Court case, Santa Fe Independent School District v. Doe, in support of local parents in Santa Fe, Texas, who objected to school-sponsored prayer at the start of high school football games. The Court decided in favor of the parents.

ADL filed amicus briefs in five other Supreme Court cases during the 1999-2000 term ­ the largest number of cases in one term for the League in recent history. The cases dealt with such issues as government-funded computers for parochial schools, the constitutionality of the Violence Against Women Act, discrimination by the Boy Scouts on the basis of sexual orientation, and reproductive choice. In addition, the League filed amicus briefs in numerous lower court cases in 2000 on such issues as vouchers, religious accommodation and hate crimes. ADL in the Courts: Litigation Docket 2000 explains ADL's legal efforts in detail.

ADL also organized a coalition to join a brief in a Supreme Court case involving the Constitution's Commerce Clause. The League was concerned because in recent years, the Court had struck down several federal statutes, limiting the power of Congress to rely on the clause when legislating on civil rights issues.

IN THE NATION

In Washington, DC, our Government and National Affairs Office built coalitions in support of church-state separation, and held a public rally for religious freedom across from the Supreme Court as part of ADL's annual National Leadership Conference. ADL leaders met with local school officials in Southern California, Houston, Las Vegas, and rural North Carolina to advise them on church-state issues.

ADL opposed the use of tax money for parochial schools as a violation of church-state separation, and asserted that voucher programs undercut public education by siphoning money and high-achieving students from the public school system, leaving the struggling public schools scrambling for funds to educate the children who remain behind. Reflecting that position, the League worked with federal and state legislators to oppose voucher plans, often structured so that states grant parents vouchers ­ typically valued between $2,500 and $5,000 per school-aged child ­ for use toward private or parochial school education.

ADL also continued to challenge, on the state and federal levels, so-called "charitable choice" initiatives, which would allow churches, synagogues, mosques and other houses of worship to receive tax dollars to provide social services. The League has argued that while religious-affiliated organizations, such as Catholic Charities and Jewish Community Federations, are currently barred from engaging in proselytizing or religious coercion while providing government-funded social services, the new proposals contain no such restrictions.

CHURCH-STATE PUBLICATIONS

As part of ADL's Religious Freedom Action Plan dealing with issues relating to church-state separation, the League published the proceedings of a major conference that we had organized on those issues at the University of Pennsylvania Law School, as well as the following pamphlets:

The 'December Dilemma': Guidelines for Public Schools During the December Holidays ­ addresses potential conflicts arising from Christmas and Chanukah falling during the same time period of the school year

Teaching Science, Not Dogma: The Creationism Controversy ­ explains ADL's opposition to teaching creationism on an equal basis with evolution in schools, on the grounds that creationism represents religious belief, not science

The Ten Commandments Controversy: A First Amendment Perspective ­ argues that the display of the Ten Commandments in schools and other public buildings "is both unconstitutional and bad policy" 

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