AFBO v. Anderson - The Iowa One Gift campaign enables state employees to make voluntary donations via payroll deduction to participating charities of their choice. One Gift includes over four hundred charities reflecting a variety of viewpoints. However, the program effectively excludes religious charitable organizations from applying to One Gift by requiring charities to certify in their applications that they do not engage in religious activity including advocating for religious viewpoints and that they do not limit their employment positions to those who agree with the organization's religious beliefs.
Doe v. California Lutheran High School and AFBO - AFBO is seeking to intervene in Doe v. California Lutheran High School, a state court action brough in Riverside, California, against a Christian high school for expelling two allegedly lesbian students. The suit claims that California Lutheran is subject to suit under the state's Unruh Act for sexual orientation discrimination, even though it is a private religious school. AFBO has asked the court to allow it to intervene to help defend the lawsuit on behalf of its numerous member Christian schools in California. The Complaint seeking intervention can be read here.
AFBO and Geneva College v. Chao - This case was brought in the Federal District Court in Pittsburgh against the Pennsylvania and US Departments of Labor for refusing to allow Geneva College to publish a job placement listing in a federally funded "Careerlink" website because Geneva was deemed to be engaged in "discriminatory" hiring on the basis of religion. The case was settled when the defendants agreed to be bound by an interpretation of the Careerlink funding regulations that permits Geneva as a religious employer to hire and list job openings on the basis of religious qualifications.
AFBO v. Granholm - This case challenges the exclusion of faith-based charities from the Michigan State Employees Charitable Campaign. Like Wisconsin and Florida (see AFBO v. Bablitch and AFBO v. Lewis), Michigan forbids charities that staff on a religious basis from participating in its combined campaign, effectively shutting out truly faith-based charities altogether. You can read more about the case in the attached Complaint filed by AFBO in federal court in Lansing, Michigan in October 2006.
AFBO v. Lewis - Lewis challenged Florida's exclusion of faith-based charities from the its State Employee Charitable Campaign. State officials reached agreement with AFBO in a September 2006 mediation, agreeing to admit AFBO's members and amend the rules governing the campaign to protect the constitutional rights of religious organizations and prohibit discrimination in the program based on charities' religious viewpoints.
AFBO v. Bablitch - Bablitch was AFBO's first lawsuit, filed in March 2006 against the Wisconsin State Employees Combined Charitable Campaign for excluding AFBO members from eligbility because they exercise their constitutional and statutory right to hire on the basis of faith. The federal court for the Western District of Wisconsin ruled in favor of AFBO's members on September 27, 2006, ordering declaring the exclusion to be "religious discrimination" and ordering state officials to allow religious organizations equal participation in the state charitable program.
