Chick-fil-A Law & San Antonio Council Back In Court
Today, the state Fourth Court of Appeals heard oral arguments on appeal after the City of San Antonio lost the first round of a lawsuit filed by citizens of the City of San Antonio, Bexar County, and Comal County against the San Antonio City Council in September of 2019 under the Save Chick-Fil-A Religious Freedom Law. The trial court originally ruled against the City of San Antonio in January of 2020 on procedural grounds, ruling that the lawsuit could move forward, you can find more details here.
Jonathan Saenz, Esq., President of Texas Values, stated: “It’s a shame the City of San Antonio still refuses back off of their illegal and unconstitutional ordinance that discriminates against and punishes Christian businesses and religious nonprofit organizations like The Salvation Army and Fellowship of Christian Athletes, even after a state law has been passed on this issue and a lawsuit has been filed.”
The Save Chick-fil-A Religious Freedom law, SB 1978, ensures, just like the First Amendment intended, that no one is discriminated against by the government for associating with, or donating to, a religious organization. The law prohibits state and local governments from denying a contract, loan, scholarship, grant, license, registration, admission to a school or university, or employment because of a business or an individual’s support or donation to a religious organization. SB 1978 was authored by Senator Bryan Hughes and Representative Matt Krause.
The #SaveChickfilA First Amendment Defense Act religious freedom effort became a statewide and even national movement during the 2019 Texas Legislative Session after the San Antonio City Council banned a Chick-fil-A location from their airport because of past donations to the Salvation Army and Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Texans, including Governor Abbott and Senator Ted Cruz, expressed their overwhelming support for the Save Chick-fil-A effort with over 150,000 phone calls, emails, and social media messages to the Texas Capitol.
This attack on Chick-fil-A and religious freedom by the San Antonio City Council also has led to an investigation by the Texas Attorney General’s office and the United States Department of Transportation. San Antonio City Council member Roberto Trevino has refused to reverse the ban on Chick-fil-A in light of this new law. The Mayor, Ron Nirenberg, who was forced into a runoff and barely won re-election because of this issue, has tried to rewrite history in regards to the embarrassment he has brought to the city by discriminating against a Christian owned business. This law removes all doubt on where Texas stands protecting religious freedom.
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About Texas Values
Texas Values is the largest statewide nonprofit organization dedicated to standing for faith, family, and freedom in Texas. More information is available at txvalues.org.