Jump to content

Thomas More Law Center

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Jakes18 (talk | contribs) at 05:55, 16 June 2006 (Some fixes...."intelligent design" in its present form and name is a rather new movement). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

The Thomas More Law Center is a conservative Christian, not-for-profit law center based in Ann Arbor, Michigan and active throughout the United States. Its stated goals are defending religious freedom, restoring "time honored values", protecting the sanctity of human life. Its motto is "The Sword and the Shield for People of Faith." The center characterizes itself as "Christianity's answer to the ACLU". [1]

The issues the center pursues track those espoused by religious conservatives: opposing same-sex marriage and other homosexuality-related causes; opposing pornography; supporting pro-life positions; arguing in favor of returning school prayer and introducing intelligent design in public school classrooms; and opposing the removal of the Ten Commandments from municipal and school buildings.

Though it is active in many controversial social issues and cases, the center is most widely known for its aggressive litigation of intelligent design cases by its trial representation and advisement of intelligent design proponents, and its strong anti-abortion/pro-life litigation.

The center was founded in 1999 by Tom Monaghan, founder of Domino's Pizza, and Richard Thompson, the former prosecutor known for his role in the prosecution of Jack Kevorkian and who now serves as the center's President and Chief Counsel. Senator Rick Santorum and Ambassador Alan Keyes are among those who have sat on the center's advisory board. Santorum has played a crucial role in promoting intelligent design through his Santorum Amendment; however, following the center's defeat in the Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District case (see below), Santorum announced his intention to end his affiliation with the center. [2]

The center claims its lawyers maintain "the highest moral and ethical standards of our Christian faith and our legal profession." The center considers its work "ministry" and states it was inspired by what it calls a "cultural war being waged across America" against "Christians and their faith." A policy statement of the center states "The Thomas More Center seeks to transform the national culture by taking cases across the United States consistent with its mission. The Center currently is handling over 120 legal matters in 27 different states."

It is named after Thomas More, the 16th century Lord Chancellor whose decision to refuse to accept King Henry VIII's claim to be the supreme head of the Church of England ended his political career and led to his execution as a traitor.

Intelligent design

A New York Times article revealed that the lawyers of the Thomas More Law Center travelled the country looking for a school board willing to withstand a lawsuit as a test case for the teaching of intelligent design in public schools [3]. In a May 2000 visit to Charleston, West Virginia, Robert Muise, one of the lawyers, tried to persuade the school board to buy and use Of Pandas and People as a textbook for its science classes. Muise warned the board in Charleston that it would undoubtedly be sued if the district taught intelligent design, but that the Thomas More Law Center would provide legal defense at no cost: "We'll be your shields against such attacks," he told the school board, referencing the Center's motto. Muise told the board they could defend teaching intelligent design as a matter of academic freedom.

Though the Charlston board turned down their offer, the board of the Dover, Pennsylvania school district accepted the center's offer, which has resulted in the Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District trial. Decided on December 20, 2005 in favor of the plaintiffs, Judge John E. Jones III in his ruling wrote "The breathtaking inanity of the Board’s decision is evident when considered against the factual backdrop which has now been fully revealed through this trial. The students, parents, and teachers of the Dover Area School District deserved better than to be dragged into this legal maelstrom, with its resulting utter waste of monetary and personal resources." He described the Thomas More Law Center as "a national public interest law firm eager to find a constitutional test case on intelligent design, who in combination drove the board to adopt an imprudent and ultimately unconstitutional policy". [4]

Notable cases involving the Thomas More Law Center

  • Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District The Dover, Pennsylvania Board of Education passed a resolution requiring 9th grade biology teachers to be read a statement that questioned evolution's validity while directing students to study intelligent design and the intelligent design textbook Of Pandas and People as an alternative. Challenged on First Amendment grounds by a number of parents, represented by Pepper Hamilton LLP while the Thomas More Law Center represented the school board pro bono. The case was decided on December 20, 2005 in favor of the plaintiffs.
  • Terri Schiavo The center's participation in the Schiavo controversy included, but was not limited to, urging Florida Governor Jeb Bush to intervene to stop the removal of Schiavo's feeding tube and counseling the governor as to the legality of his doing so. [5]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Thomas_More_Law_Center&oldid=58899069"