Maine court rules father can restrict daughter’s church attendance
The court said the mother’s church choices harmed co-parenting and could alienate the child from her father.
- On Tuesday, the Maine Supreme Judicial Court unanimously upheld a lower court's order blocking Emily Bickford from bringing her 13-year-old daughter to religious services or exposing her to Biblical teaching, siding with father Matthew Bradeen.
- The court found the mother's inability to co-parent on religious matters necessitated granting Bradeen authority, citing Pastor Travis Carey's prayer that disparaged him as 'in need of salvation' and an 'attack on God' during a service.
- Bradeen argued the church created a 'dangerous and harmful environment' that caused his daughter anxiety, including panic attacks following teachings on the rapture; the court agreed some language was 'psychologically damaging the child' due to how it characterized her father.
- Bickford's legal team, Liberty Counsel, plans to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, arguing the ruling violates her First Amendment rights through 'open hostility' toward religious beliefs; she has 90 days to file.
- As a 'Christian ministry' focused on religious freedom, Liberty Counsel has handled other major cases, including a 2022 Supreme Court victory in Boston. The group's involvement underscores the case's significance in ongoing debates over parental rights.
13 Articles
13 Articles
The Toronto Star
Maine’s high court rules father can restrict daughter’s church attendance
A Portland District Court judge was correct in giving a father the power to decide whether his daughter could attend an evangelical church following a clash with the girl’s mother over her religious upbringing, the Maine Supreme Judicial Court ruled…
Court rules father can stop daughter from attending church – The...
A Portland District Court judge in Maine was correct in giving a father the power to decide whether his daughter could attend an evangelical church following a clash with the girl’s mother over her religious upbringing, the Maine Supreme Judicial Court ruled on Sept. 1. The decision keeps in place... Read More The post Court rules father can stop daughter from attending church appeared first on The Horn News - Proudly American, Fiercely Indepen…
Dad can forbid child from attending church with mother, Maine high court rules
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"No Christian Church" Order for Couple's Daughter Gets Appealed to U.S. Supreme Court
(WND)—“An allocation of rights to one parent inherently limits the authority of the other but doesn’t necessarily infringe upon the constitutional rights of either parent,” the Maine Supreme Court claimed in its soon-to-be-challenged decision. The mother is banned by the courts from taking her daughter, now 13, to church, a religious organization or event, or […] The post “No Christian Church” Order for Couple’s Daughter Gets Appealed to U.S. Su…
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