Maine’s high court rules father can restrict daughter’s church attendance
The justices said the restriction protects the child’s well-being after evidence showed church messages about her father caused anxiety and panic attacks.
- 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.
57 Articles
57 Articles
Maine Supreme Court Upholds Order Blocking Mom From Taking Her 13-Year-Old to Church
Maine Supreme Court Upholds Order Blocking Mom From Taking Her 13-Year-Old to Church The Maine Supreme Court has upheld a lower-court order preventing a mother from taking her 13-year-old daughter to Calvary Chapel of Greater Portland. The church’s teachings, as described in the court opinion, sound like standard Bible-based Christianity. They include belief in the Old and New Testaments as the Word of God, the Trinity, original sin, salvation t…
Maine Supreme Court Rules Dad Can Forbid Mom From Taking Teen Christian to Church
A teenage Christian may not go to church with her mother unless her father permits it, according to a Sept. 1 ruling by the Maine Supreme Judicial Court. The 13-year-old girl has not been allowed to gather with any church since December 2024, when Cumberland County Judge Jennifer Nofsinger, a lesbian, gave her father “final authority” over...
Mother Appeals To Supreme Court After Being Barred From Taking Her Daughter To Calvary Chapels, Exposing Her To The Bible - Harbinger's Daily
In December 2024, the Portland District Court ruled that Ava’s father, Matthew Bradeen, would have full control over all religious attendances, including “the right to make final decisions regarding [the daughter’s] participation in other churches and religious organizations.” The court ruled that there had been “no showing of harm to [the child]…
Court Forbids Mom to Take Daughter, 13, to Normal Christian Church – Used the Word ‘Cult’ in Official Docs * The Gateway Pundit * by Randy DeSoto, The Western Journal
The Maine Supreme Court this week upheld a lower court ruling preventing a mother from taking her 13-year-old daughter to a church it referred to as a "cult." The decision could set a bad precedent for other jurisdictions to grab onto nationwide.
Court Forbids Mom to Take Daughter, 13, to Normal Christian Church - Used the Word 'Cult' in Official Docs
The Maine Supreme Court this week upheld a lower court ruling preventing a mother from taking her 13-year-old daughter to a church it referred to as a “cult.” The decision […]
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