The 3 - December 14, 2025

In Clearwater, Florida, a city ordinance had been passed in 2023 that would, according to Live Action, establish a "'vehicular safety zone,' by banning all pedestrians — exempting emergency services personnel and facility staff escorting women — from crossing within five feet of the driveway of the Bread and Roses Women's Health Center, which is the only abortion facility in the city."  A pro-life organization filed a lawsuit against the ordinance, and a federal district judge refused to put the new law on hold.

But, a three-judge panel of the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals, as Live Action reports, "determined this week that a buffer zone ordinance in Clearwater, Florida, violates the First Amendment rights of pro-lifers who minister outside a city abortion facility."  The report added, "Per the court's ruling, a lower court must place an injunction on the ordinance," and stated, "The ruling allows pro-life sidewalk counselors to resume their practice of offering alternatives and help to abortion-minded women outside of the facility."

In a press release, Senior Counsel Tyler Brooks of the Thomas More Society, stated: "This ruling is a resounding win for free speech and the voiceless preborn," adding, "Our clients simply seek to exercise their constitutional right to share resources and abortion alternatives peacefully with abortion-vulnerable women. The court rightly affirmed that a city cannot use dubious, manufactured pretexts to silence speech it doesn’t like.”  

The Trump administration and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth have taken a step toward better military readiness by issuing putting a policy in place that would ban, as Liberty Counsel puts it, "gender-confused" individuals from serving in the military.

The website notes that recently, "The federal D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the Pentagon’s 2025 ban on gender-confused individuals serving in the military. In a 2-1 ruling, the court granted the Trump administration’s request to pause a district court injunction that had blocked the policy. Now the policy can take effect as the administration appeals the lower court’s decision."

Liberty Counsel Founder and Chairman Mat Staver, heard on "Freedom's Call" on Faith Radio believes the appeals court made the right call, saying, "The ‘Hegseth Policy’ is grounded in objective medical criteria and the natural differences between the sexes to ensure that every service member is fully prepared—physically and mentally—to meet the challenges of defending our nation. Gender confusion is associated with significant social impairment, distress, and medical needs, and the military environment leaves no room for such conditions that could compromise performance in high pressure situations."

The Religious Liberty Commission, established by an Executive Order by President Trump and overseen by the Department of Justice, held its fourth meeting last week, which occurred in Dallas.  A DOJ summary on its website noted that Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward said:

"The American military has, from beginning, shown that readiness and religious liberty strengthen each other. Under the leadership of President Trump and Attorney General Bondi, this Department of Justice is providing unprecedented support for religious liberty and expression. Our goal is simple: to restore religious liberty to its rightful place as a fundamental pillar for generations to come."

Among those testifying were Robert Jeffress, Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church of Dallas, who is heard on "Pathway to Victory" on Faith Radio, as well as Senior Executive Pastor Ben Lovvorn.  The First Baptist Dallas worship service is heard Sunday mornings on Faith Radio. A press release from the church stated that Pastor Jeffress, during his testimony, related that "the IRS threatened a church’s tax-exempt status for lawful comments and activities in an actual worship service, based on complaints arising from its annual 'Celebrate Freedom' patriotic service focusing on religious freedom held in 2020." It went on to say that the church fully cooperated, but the IRS persisted in an investigation that lasted a year, then "acknowledged that First Baptist Dallas did not engage in any improper political intervention or violate the U.S. tax code."

Mike Berry, Executive Director of External Affairs and Senior Counsel at First Liberty Institute, also spoke, sharing, according to the organization's website: “The testimonies offered to the Commission today make clear that religious hostility persists within our military. Religious liberty is, and always has been, a matter of national security.”  

Kenny Vaughan, the founder of Shields of Strength, also spoke; First Liberty stated that the company "creates and distributes Bible verse-engraved dog tags to encourage service members and their families," and noted: "After producing more than 5 million dog tags with inspirations Bible verses, Kenny’s license was revoked after an anti-religious group complained. Vaughan’s case was recently settled."

Others who testified, according to the DOJ website, included:

• David Barton, Founder and President of WallBuilders
• Chaplain (Maj. Gen.) Doug Carver, retired 22nd Chief of Chaplains of the U.S. Army
• Andrew Fox, former Chaplain for the Austin Fire Department, and
• Phyllis Morris: who lives in Sweetwater, TX, and is described as a "religious liberty advocate"

The DOJ website noted that Morris "...successfully advocated for religious liberty in her town by educating herself on First Amendment protections and clarifying to local officials and detractors that religious expression is not only permissible but protected. The result of her efforts is a beautiful nativity near the Sweetwater courthouse."