Greenberg v. Lehocky
Description: Pennsylvania is seeking to restrict the constitutionally protected freedom of attorneys to say what they believe about matters of public concern.
ADF supports attorneys' right to freely speak without government punishment
The following quote may be attributed to Alliance Defending Freedom Senior Counsel Jake Warner regarding a friend-of-the-court brief ADF attorneys filed Thursday with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit in Greenberg v. Lehocky in support of the constitutionally protected freedom of attorneys to say what they believe about matters of public concern without fear of government punishment:
“When attorneys enter the legal profession, they do not forfeit their right to free speech—especially against rules that regulate even their social interactions based on viewpoint. While the government may regulate what attorneys say in the courtroom, express in briefs, and disclose about clients, it can’t silence their voices on matters of public concern. Yet, as we explain in our brief, Pennsylvania is seeking to do just that by subjectively restricting attorneys from expressing certain messages and viewpoints the state may disagree with. The First Amendment forbids this massive overreach, and we urge the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit to protect the right of attorneys to freely speak without government punishment.”
Alliance Defending Freedom is an alliance-building, non-profit legal organization committed to protecting religious freedom, free speech, parental rights, and the sanctity of life.
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ABOUT Jake Warner
Jake Warner serves as senior counsel with Alliance Defending Freedom, where he is a key member of the Center for Conscience Initiatives. Since joining ADF in 2017, Warner has focused on protecting the conscience rights of individuals being unjustly forced to compromise their beliefs under threat of heavy fines and punishment. His practice also includes defending the freedom of Christians to exercise their faith in the marketplace without government interference. Prior to joining ADF, Warner served as a judicial law clerk to Senior United States District Judge Malcolm J. Howard in the Eastern District of North Carolina. Before his clerkship, Warner also engaged in private practice with the firm of Perry, Perry & Perry, in Kinston, North Carolina, where he primarily represented criminal defendants in both federal and state courts. Warner earned his J.D. at the Regent University School of Law, graduating magna cum laude in 2011. He obtained his B.A. in history and political science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2006. Warner is admitted to practice in Arizona, North Carolina, and the U.S. Supreme Court, as well as several federal district and appellate courts.