20 states to Treasury Department: Stop opposing state efforts to prevent discriminatory de-banking
The following quote may be attributed to Alliance Defending Freedom Senior Counsel and Senior Vice President of Corporate Engagement Jeremy Tedesco regarding a multi-state letter led by Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird and Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody which counters U.S. Department of Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen’s recent mischaracterizations of state legislation protecting citizens from viewpoint-based discrimination in banking.
“No one should be denied access to basic financial services because of their political or religious beliefs. That’s why federal and state governments have already enacted numerous anti-discrimination laws for financial services. But we are seeing a rising trend in politicized de-banking. States like Florida and Tennessee have done the right thing by enacting legally sound protections that ensure their citizens are not de-banked based on their political or religious views. Sadly, the U.S. Department of Treasury is openly opposing these efforts—even going so far as to misrepresent the scope and reach of the laws. Rather than carrying the water for big banks that have a disturbing track record of de-banking customers for their political or religious views, the department should focus on addressing its own complicity in this discriminatory practice which was revealed by a congressional committee earlier this year. The federal government’s collusion with Big Banks to surveil customer’s private financial data is the real threat to our First Amendment freedoms.”
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.
# # #
Related Resources
ABOUT Jeremy Tedesco
Jeremy Tedesco serves as senior counsel and senior vice president of corporate engagement for Alliance Defending Freedom. In this role, Tedesco leads ADF’s efforts to combat corporate cancel culture and build a business ethic that respects free speech, religious freedom, and human dignity. Immediately preceding his current role, Tedesco served as senior vice president for communications, during which time he was a lead convener of the Philadelphia Statement, a movement dedicated to restoring free speech and civil discourse. Previously, Tedesco litigated First Amendment cases at the highest levels. He was part of the legal team that represented cake artist Jack Phillips in Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission before the U.S. Supreme Court and argued Phillips’ case at the Colorado Court of Appeals. He was also the lead brief writer in two other U.S. Supreme Court wins, Reed v. Town of Gilbert and Arizona Christian School Tuition Organization v. Winn. Tedesco has also argued six times before five different federal appellate courts and founded and directed the ADF Center for Conscience Initiatives, where he led efforts to protect individuals from government-coerced speech. Tedesco earned his Juris Doctor in 2004 from the Regent University School of Law.