Archive for the ‘TMS Cases’ Category
Posted by Thomas More Society (March 12, 2010 at 5:02 pm)
For Immediate Release
Chicago, Illinois March 12—Reacting to the recent claim by the Attorney General that the Illinois Constitution contains a right to abortion, attorneys from the Thomas More Society will appear in Cook County court on Monday, March 15, again seeking to intervene in the latest American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) lawsuit, challenging the Illinois Parental Notice of Abortion Act of 1995.
In Hope Clinic, et al., v. Brent Adams et al. (No. 09 CH 38661), Thomas More Society attorneys are representing Illinois State’s Attorneys Stu Umholtz (R-Tazewell), Ed Deters (D-Effingham) and Ray Cavanaugh (R-Henderson), and maintain that because there is no right to abortion in the Illinois Constitution, the ACLU’s latest challenge to parental notice is baseless. The Attorney General, representing various Illinois officials who are named as defendants, has moved to dismiss the case on other grounds.
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Posted by Thomas More Society (March 11, 2010 at 11:25 pm)
Outside of Planned Parenthood on Lasalle and Division in downtown Chicago, a newsstand has stood vacant on the corner for quite some time.
The newsstand, owned by the city of Chicago, created a bit of an annoyance for pro-lifers since it took up a good bit of sidewalk real estate where sidewalk counselors and prayer partners could otherwise stand.
But the folks at Aid for Women pregnancy resource center turned the annoyance into a blessing when they purchased an ad on the side of the newsstand offering women alternatives to abortion right outside the clinic’s door.
But recently and with no notice, the newsstand was taken down by the city along with the ad, despite the fact that Aid for Women had contracted the ad through the beginning of May.
Many observing the situation have smelled something fishy about the situation, especially because the Planned Parenthood facility is located in the ward of Alderman Vi Daley—the alderman who sponsored the infamous Chicago “bubble zone” ordinance at Planned Parenthood’s request.
With that in view, Thomas More Society attorneys have filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for any and all documents the city has pertaining to the ad, the newsstand and their removal.
Read all about the story from the Pro-Life Action League, the Chicago Tribune’s Dennis Byrne and TMS’s FOIA request below.
Related Links
Posted by matt (March 8, 2010 at 11:41 pm)
Two critical TMS cases have been in the news this week. The dismissal of the disorderly conduct charges filed against Providence, Rhode Island Mayoral candidate Chris Young for speaking out against Rep. Patrick Kennedy’s pro-abortion stance was a tremendous victory for free speech and has caught the attention of both the local and national press.
Also, the case of an Indiana homeschooling group whose First Amendment rights are being violated by the state government which is attempting to micromanage the groups affairs with an iron fist has got the press talking in print and in new media outlets like the blogosphere.
Keep Up with the Latest News
Check out all the links below for more details on both cases and be sure to check back to the TMS blog often for the latest updates. For the most up to the minute news, sign up to receive e-mail alerts of breaking events on the upper left side of this website.
News Coverage of the Chris Brown Dismissal
News Coverage of the Indianapolis Homeschooling Case
Posted by Thomas More Society (March 5, 2010 at 5:19 pm)
Thomas More Society Wins Dismissal of Charges Against Pro-Life Advocate Who Challenged Rep. Patrick Kennedy’s Pro-Abortion Views
For Immediate Release
Providence, R.I. March 5, 2010—Attorneys from the Chicago-based Thomas More Society,on the eve of the trial, won a victory in Providence municipal court this week when the city prosecutor decided to dismiss criminal charges against Christopher Young. Young, a Catholic pro-lifer who is also a Democratic mayoral candidate, was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct after confronting Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-RI) about his abortion views at an advertised “open forum” on health care at Brown University last November.
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Posted by Thomas More Society (March 5, 2010 at 12:47 pm)
The case against Providence, Rhode Island mayoral candidate Chris Young has been dismissed! Young was arrested for disorderly conduct after questioning Rep. Patrick Kennedy about abortion at a public forum on healthcare.
After a tenacious fight by TMS attorneys, the city prosecutor moved for dismissal. Check back to the TMS website for more details as they become available.
In the meantime, you can read more on the case here, here and see video of Young’s question for Kennedy and his arrest here. You can also see the court documents on the dismissal below.
Case Documents
Posted by Thomas More Society (March 3, 2010 at 11:28 pm)
TMS renews call for Notre Dame President Fr. Jenkins to prefer human rights to property rights and ask the prosecutor to drop all charges against the ND 88
Chicago, Ill.—Tom Brejcha, president and chief counsel of Chicago’s Thomas More Society—the national public interest law firm whose legal team is defending the Notre Dame 88—is sad to report the death of ND88 client Linda Schmidt who died after a courageous battle with terminal cancer.
“It is with a heavy heart that we report that Linda Schmidt died early last night. While she will be missed by her family and loved ones, as a woman of tremendous faith she will no doubt spend eternity with our Lord,” stated Brejcha. “But our grief at losing this dedicated pro-life heroine is greater given the grim truth that she lived her final days under this cloud of criminal charges instigated by Notre Dame, which remained pending even as she departed this life.”
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Posted by Thomas More Society (March 2, 2010 at 11:29 pm)
Judicial Review and Stay of Proceedings Sought in Hamilton County Superior Court against Agency’s Claim of Power to Penalize a Group of Nine Families for their Decision about ‘Who Could Eat What’ at the Group’s Banquet.
Hamilton County, Ind., March 2—Late yesterday, Chicago’s Thomas More Society, a national public interest law firm, filed a 127-page lawsuit against the Indiana Civil Rights Commission (ICRC). The ICRC has adamantly insisted that it has the power to review and penalize a Catholic home schooling group of nine families who joined together for religious reasons to form the Fishers Adolescent Catholic Enrichment Society (FACES) by which the families sought to provide social occasions at which their children could interact in a religious context with other children who were being home schooled. . . Case documents after the break
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Posted by Thomas More Society (February 19, 2010 at 11:42 am)
Emboldened by recent action in Chicago, Rockford, Illinois recently sought to enact a bubble zone ordinance to restrict pro-life counseling and prayer outside the abortion facility in the town. After TMS attorneys conatacted the city council, the measure was tabled for two months.
The media has caught wind of this important free-speech case. Below is a sampling of the media coverage on this story.
Media Coverage of Rockford Bubble Zone
Posted by Thomas More Society (February 19, 2010 at 11:27 am)
Providence, RI Mayoral candidate Chris Young’s trial on charges of disorderly conduct for questioning Rep. Patrick Kennedy on abortion in the healthcare overhaul has been postponed until March 10. TMS attorneys representing Mr. Young are seeking for the charges to be dropped entirely and alleging that Mr. Young’s first amendment rights were violated.
Video of the incident can be seen here and case documents can be read here.
As we wait for the trial to proceed, the media has taken notice of this significant case. Local and national news outlets have covered the story. Follow the links below to find out more.
Press Coverage of Chris Young Trial
Posted by matt (February 16, 2010 at 10:11 am)
For Immediate Release
Thomas More Society Attorneys Seek Dismissal of Criminal Charges vs. Mayoral Candidate Whom Campus Police Arrested When He Questioned Rep. Patrick Kennedy’s Pro-Abortion Stance at an “Open Forum” on Health Care at Brown University
Providene, R.I. (February 16, 2010)—Attorneys from the Chicago-based Thomas More Society are appearing in Providence municipal court tomorrow for a hearing on their motion to dismiss disorderly conduct charges against Christopher Young. Young, a Democratic mayoral candidate, was arrested and dragged away to jail after questioning Rep. Patrick Kennedy, D-Rhode Island, about his pro-abortion views at an “open forum” on health care at Brown University last November.
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