The Independence Law Center won a case involving David Hockenberry, a mentally retarded man whose guardians sought court approval to refuse life-preserving medical treatment. Mr. Hockenberry is not permanently unconscious or suffering from any terminal disease. In fact, he is not currently even sick. His guardians simply wanted to be able to withhold life-preserving medical treatment should he become…
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The Harrisburg School District agreed to settle a lawsuit filed by Child Evangelism Fellowship of Dauphin County Inc. (CEF) at the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania. CEF, which provides after-school “Good News Clubs”, filed the case after trying for months to work with the Harrisburg School District. This was not the first incident between the school district and CEF. In…
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A property tax exemption is not so much a special favor for churches as a way to protect the independence of religious institutions. When the government has the power to tax, it has the power to control. In Wyoming County, the Independence Law Center, with assistance from attorney Lindsey Hoban of Ballard Spahr, obtained an important court victory on behalf of a small church in rural Northeastern…
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Attorney Randall Wenger was given the unique opportunity of helping a minor teenager save her baby. She was being pressured by her mother to have an abortion. However, Pennsylvania law makes clear that it is illegal to coerce a minor to have an abortion. The Law Center sought and won an emergency injunction to prevent the abortion the day before the teenager was scheduled to go to the abortion clinic.…
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The Independence Law Center went to court and came out victorious on behalf of The King's Men, an organization that was sued by a sex-oriented business. Members of The King’s Men (thekingsmen.org) are a presence outside of some "adult" bookstores and strip clubs in Southeastern Pennsylvania, holding signs and encouraging men to stop frequenting such establishments. In attempting to rid them…
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A Methodist Church in suburban Philadelphia took seriously the scriptural call to help the poor. They opened a homeless ministry to allow persons facing homelessness to stay at the church free of charge and to receive counseling while they got back on their feet financially. The Township zoning officer took a different view of the ministry and ordered them to stop, claiming that such a ministry was…
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