Welcome to the TMS Weekly Dispatch for November 10, 2025—with the latest news and updates from the front line, to keep you in-the-know on all things Thomas More Society. If you missed last week’s edition, you can read it here.  

Here's the latest from the past week:

BOMBSHELL DISCOVERY – JUDGE ORDERS CALIFORNIA EDUCATION OFFICIALS TO EXPLAIN WHY THEY SHOULDN’T BE SANCTIONED:  On November 7^th, U.S. District Judge Roger Benitez ordered the California Department of Education and counsel with the office of Attorney General Rob Bonta to appear in court and explain why they should not be sanctioned.

This major development unfolded less than an hour after TMS attorneys filed evidence showing that state officials had deceived the court by misrepresenting the status of controversial gender secrecy directives, quietly continuing enforcement of them through mandatory teacher training, just ten days before a pivotal summary judgement hearing in Mirabelli v. Olson, which will take place November 17.

“This is one of the most egregious attempts I’ve seen—if not the most—to mislead a Court,” reacted Paul M. Jonna, TMS Special Counsel.

“The California Department of Education and State Defendants have repeatedly asked the Court to dismiss the claims against them on the basis that they’re ‘moot’ because the challenged ‘guidance’ mandating gender secrecy policies was supposedly taken down from the CDE website and replaced with new guidance,” continued Jonna.  

“The State Defendants and their lawyers with the Attorney General’s office were telling the Court one thing—that they’ve done away with the challenged directives—in order to extract themselves from this case, all while doing the complete opposite, that is, continuing to require the challenged directives.”

Peter Breen, Executive VP & Head of Litigation, added: “This type of deception will not stand. We look forward to getting justice for the brave teachers and parents who have stood up against these morally and legally wrong gender secrecy mandates a finally putting an end to this charade once and for all.”  

THOMAS MORE SOCIETY SOUNDS ALARM ON ILLINOIS ASSISTED SUICIDE LAW: In the dark early hours of Halloween morning, the Illinois General Assembly passed legislation that would bring “assisted suicide” to the Land of Lincoln, endangering the elderly, the sick, and those struggling with despair or disability. Additionally, the bill threatens to force Illinois physicians and healthcare workers to violate their deeply held religious convictions and practices about the sanctity and preservation of life, making the law susceptible to constitutional challenge.

If signed into law by Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, the law could force Illinois physicians and healthcare professionals to participate in assisted deaths by mandating referral and even require religiously affiliated hospitals and medical practices to retain staff who promote or assisted death on-site, as long as those staff administer deadly drugs off-site.  

“The General Assembly’s ‘assisted suicide’ bill would require these Christian institutions to refer for death and forbid them from ensuring that staff members do not promote or prescribe deadly drugs to patients,” said Peter Breen.

Thomas More Society urges Governor Pritzker to veto the bill and is prepared to sue to protect religious freedom of physicians and medical practices if SB 1950 is signed.

“The idea that some lives are not worth living is something our society should never accept. Thomas More Society will always stand on the side of life, and we implore Governor Pritzker to stop this devastating bill before it brings irreversible harm,” Breen added.  

PREGNANCY HELP APPRECIATION WEEK: This week, November 10-14, Thomas More Society is pleased to observe Pregnancy Help Appreciation Week. Our legal team is proud to defend pregnancy help organizations from coast-to-coast, completely free of charge, successfully thwarting legal attacks to ensure that they never have to close their doors.  

From free ultrasounds and material resources to parenting classes and counseling, these life-affirming nonprofits exist to serve women and their families when and where it’s most needed. Here is a compilation of top pregnancy center articles featured on the TMS blog:  

• Pregnancy Centers in the Crosshairs

• Legal Considerations for Pregnancy Centers

• Defeating Illinois SB 1909: Tricia Blasdel

• Conversation: We Can't Be Silenced

SOCIAL POST OF THE WEEK:

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