Walden v. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention resource page
ADF attorney argues before 11th Circuit: Ga. counselor wrongly fired for following conscience
WHAT: Available for media interviews following oral arguments in Walden v. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
WHEN: Thursday, March 31, immediately after hearing, which begins at 9 a.m. EDT
WHERE: U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit, Elbert P. Tuttle U.S. Court of Appeals Building, 56 Forsyth St. N.W., Courtroom 339, Atlanta
ATLANTA — Alliance Defense Fund Litigation Staff Counsel Jim Campbell will be available for media interviews Thursday at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit following oral arguments in Walden v. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
ADF attorneys are appealing a federal court ruling issued last March against Marcia Walden--a licensed associate counselor who was fired after she referred an individual seeking same-sex relationship counseling to a colleague. In order to avoid providing a service that would conflict with her sincerely held religious beliefs, Walden made a professional decision to refer the potential client to another counselor. Walden later learned that the counselee filed a complaint even though the counselee said she was very satisfied with the work of the other counselor.
“A counselor who is a Christian shouldn’t lose her job for upholding the highest professional standards,” said Campbell. “It is unlawful to punish a Christian for abiding by her faith, particularly when she made every effort to accommodate the interests of a potential client.”
The complaint occurred in 2007 when a woman employed at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention sought counseling regarding a same-sex relationship from Walden, a counselor at Computer Sciences Corporation. Walden realized that providing counseling on that topic would conflict with her values, and as a result, Walden referred the individual to a colleague.
Walden had no religious objection to counseling someone who is involved in a same-sex relationship, so long as the client did not seek counseling to directly affirm or promote that relationship. Standing on her religious beliefs, Walden felt she could not use her talents as a counselor to encourage or strengthen such relationships.
After meeting with the client, Walden’s colleague told her that she had done “the right thing” by referring the woman to him. However, after the referred client complained, her supervisors proceeded with an investigation and religiously based questioning--leading to her termination. ADF filed the suit Walden v. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on her behalf in 2008.
- Fact sheet on the case
Legal Documents
Related Resources
ABOUT Jim Campbell
Jim Campbell serves as chief legal counsel with Alliance Defending Freedom, where he leads the U.S. Legal Advocacy team. In that role, Campbell oversees all U.S. litigation teams, Allied Legal Affairs, the Church and Ministry Alliance, and advocacy strategy. Prior to joining ADF in March 2023, Campbell was the solicitor general in the office of Nebraska Attorney General Douglas J. Peterson and Michael T. Hilgers. In that role, he represented the state of Nebraska in cases before state and federal courts and oversaw all civil appeals for the state. In February 2023, Campbell argued Biden v. Nebraska before the U.S. Supreme Court, a case in which Nebraska and five other states challenged the Biden administration’s attempt to forgive over $400 billion in federal student loans for over 40 million individuals. Before joining the Nebraska attorney general’s office in January 2020, Campbell worked as senior counsel with ADF. He earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Akron School of Law, where he graduated summa cum laude in 2006. Following law school, he clerked for the Honorable Alice M. Batchelder of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit. Campbell is admitted to the state bars of Ohio, Arizona, and Nebraska. He is also admitted to multiple federal district and appellate courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court.