Will El Paso citizens' call for mayor's recall stand?
ADF attorney available to media following hearing Tuesday
Monday, Jan 23, 2012
ADF attorney sound bite: Joel Oster
WHO: ADF Senior Legal Counsel Joel Oster
WHAT: Available for media interviews after hearing in Cook v. Tom Brown Ministries
WHEN: Tuesday, Jan. 24, immediately following hearing, which begins at 9 a.m. MST
WHERE: Texas Court of Appeals for the 8th District, County Courthouse, 500 E. San Antonio St., Room 1203, El Paso
EL PASO, Texas — Alliance Defense Fund Senior Legal Counsel Joel Oster will be available for media interviews following a hearing Tuesday in which he will argue that a Texas appeals court should not grant El Paso Mayor John Cook’s request to stop a recall election against him and two city council members.
Cook filed suit last year against local Christian ministries and others who circulated recall petitions, but a state judge denied Cook’s request for a preliminary injunction to stop the election in November. The case is set for trial in June.
“Churches and ministries shouldn’t live in fear of being punished by the government for exercising their constitutionally protected right to free speech,” said Oster. “The mayor is continuing his push to silence those who oppose his policies because he doesn’t like their views, but that’s simply not legal. He can’t stop the election just because he doesn’t like the fact that some groups participated in a legitimate effort that he doesn’t favor.”
Cook sued Tom Brown Ministries, Word of Life Church of El Paso, El Pasoans for Traditional Family Values, and other local citizens to silence them from speaking out against the mayor’s policies that impact El Paso families.
In November 2010, El Paso voters, by popular petition, placed on the ballot and passed an ordinance prohibiting unmarried domestic partner benefits. Despite this, certain members of the city council voted to rescind the ordinance passed by the voters, and the mayor approved.
In response to the council’s defiance of the people’s expressed will, a grassroots recall campaign sought to remove the mayor and council members who ignored the vote of the people. The mayor then filed suit alleging that the church violated Texas election law by circulating a petition. ADF attorneys have filed a federal suit against the law to have it declared unconstitutional.
Theresa Cabellero and Stewart Leeds of El Paso are serving as local counsel in the case.
WHAT: Available for media interviews after hearing in Cook v. Tom Brown Ministries
WHEN: Tuesday, Jan. 24, immediately following hearing, which begins at 9 a.m. MST
WHERE: Texas Court of Appeals for the 8th District, County Courthouse, 500 E. San Antonio St., Room 1203, El Paso
EL PASO, Texas — Alliance Defense Fund Senior Legal Counsel Joel Oster will be available for media interviews following a hearing Tuesday in which he will argue that a Texas appeals court should not grant El Paso Mayor John Cook’s request to stop a recall election against him and two city council members.
Cook filed suit last year against local Christian ministries and others who circulated recall petitions, but a state judge denied Cook’s request for a preliminary injunction to stop the election in November. The case is set for trial in June.
“Churches and ministries shouldn’t live in fear of being punished by the government for exercising their constitutionally protected right to free speech,” said Oster. “The mayor is continuing his push to silence those who oppose his policies because he doesn’t like their views, but that’s simply not legal. He can’t stop the election just because he doesn’t like the fact that some groups participated in a legitimate effort that he doesn’t favor.”
Cook sued Tom Brown Ministries, Word of Life Church of El Paso, El Pasoans for Traditional Family Values, and other local citizens to silence them from speaking out against the mayor’s policies that impact El Paso families.
In November 2010, El Paso voters, by popular petition, placed on the ballot and passed an ordinance prohibiting unmarried domestic partner benefits. Despite this, certain members of the city council voted to rescind the ordinance passed by the voters, and the mayor approved.
In response to the council’s defiance of the people’s expressed will, a grassroots recall campaign sought to remove the mayor and council members who ignored the vote of the people. The mayor then filed suit alleging that the church violated Texas election law by circulating a petition. ADF attorneys have filed a federal suit against the law to have it declared unconstitutional.
Theresa Cabellero and Stewart Leeds of El Paso are serving as local counsel in the case.
- ADF “Speak Up” Church website
- Pronunciation guide: Oster (OH’-stir)
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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