Statement from ADF on tragic death of Chief Judge John Roll

Comments of ADF President, CEO, and General Counsel Alan Sears

Sunday, Jan 9, 2011

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Alliance Defense Fund President, CEO, and General Counsel Alan Sears offered the following comments Sunday regarding the shooting death Chief Judge John McCarthy Roll of the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona:

“Chief Judge Roll was a great lawyer, sound jurist, and a long-time friend. Our hearts are deeply grieved over this tragedy. His untimely death is a huge loss for America’s judicial system and for all of us, personally. One consolation we have in our grief is that because of John’s fervent love for the Lord, he is right now rejoicing in the loving presence of his Creator. We will keep the judge’s family and his countless friends and students in our prayers.”

In addition to Judge Roll, who was known and loved by a number of ADF team members, we would like to extend our prayers to others killed, including Christina Green, Gabriele Zimmerman, Dorothy Morris, Phyllis Schneck, and Dorwin Stoddard, and their family members. We would also like to extend our prayers to Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona and the 13 other victims who were injured in the Tucson shooting, as well as their families.

ADF is a legal alliance of Christian attorneys and like-minded organizations defending the right of people to freely live out their faith. Launched in 1994, ADF employs a unique combination of strategy, training, funding, and litigation to protect and preserve religious liberty, the sanctity of life, marriage, and the family. 

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ABOUT Alan Sears
Alan Sears was the first president, CEO, and general counsel of Alliance Defending Freedom, leading its efforts from 1993-2017. Across those nearly 25 years, he built an ADF team committed to a comprehensive legal strategy that includes training, funding, and legal advocacy. Sears earned his Juris Doctor from Louis D. Brandeis School of Law. While serving in numerous positions within the Reagan and Bush administrations, he worked for the Department of Justice under Attorneys General William French Smith and Edwin Meese III, including service as an Assistant U.S. Attorney and Chief of the Criminal Section. Sears was appointed as director of the Attorney General’s Commission on Pornography and served as associate solicitor with the Department of Interior under Secretary Donald Hodel. A graduate of the University of Kentucky, Sears has continued his education with professional instruction at Stanford University Graduate School of Business, Harvard Law School, Harvard Business School, and Pepperdine University. He is a member in good standing with the American, Arizona, California, District of Columbia (inactive), and Kentucky bar associations.

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