Illinois governor signs bill gutting employers' First Amendment freedoms
The following quote may be attributed to Alliance Defending Freedom Senior Counsel Greg Baylor, director of the ADF Center for Religious Schools, regarding Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s misguided signing Wednesday of HB 4867, a bill that amends the Illinois Human Rights Act in a way that threatens the statutory and constitutional rights of religious and pro-life employers:
“Forcing people or organizations to violate their religious beliefs is unconstitutional and has no place in our society. Many organizations, including religious and mission-driven entities, maintain their unique character through their personnel choices. These employers advance their missions and communicate their messages by hiring and retaining people who wholeheartedly support and share the organization’s mission and message. HB 4867 destroys that essential freedom. The enactment of this bill wrongfully prevents organizations—including pregnancy care centers, Catholic parishes, and religious schools—from hiring only those who share and communicate their beliefs on the sanctity of human life. We are disappointed to see this dangerous legislation signed into law, as it plainly violates the First Amendment freedoms of pro-life employers in Illinois.”
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 Gregory S. Baylor
Gregory S. Baylor serves as senior counsel with Alliance Defending Freedom, where he is the director of the Center for Religious Schools and senior counsel with the Center for Public Policy. Since joining ADF in 2009, Baylor has focused on defending and advancing the religious freedom of faith-based educational institutions through advice, education, legislative and public advocacy, and representation in disputes. He has testified about religious liberty issues three times before congressional committees. Greg earned his Juris Doctor in 1990 from Duke University School of Law, where he graduated Order of the Coif, with high honors, and served on the editorial board of the Duke Law Journal. He received his bachelor’s degree in Honors English in 1987 from Dartmouth College. Following graduation from law school, he served as law clerk to the Hon. Jerry E. Smith on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit. He practiced labor and employment law at two large international law firms for three years before joining the staff of Christian Legal Society’s Center for Law and Religious Freedom, where he served for 15 years prior to joining ADF.