Alliance Defending Freedom

Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) is an American 501(c)(3) nonprofit legal advocacy organization associated with conservative Christian causes. It was incorporated in 1993 by prominent figures in the American evangelical and Christian-right movements, including Bill Bright, Larry Burkett, James Dobson, D. James Kennedy, Marlin Maddoux, Mark Siljander, and Alan Sears. The group was initially established primarily to provide financial and organizational support to attorneys pursuing litigation that its founders regarded as important to religious liberty and the public role of Christianity. In its early years, it frequently positioned itself in opposition to the American Civil Liberties Union and other organizations that it believed were restricting religious expression in public life. The organization was originally called the Alliance Defense Fund. In 2012, it adopted the name Alliance Defending Freedom to signal a strategic shift from mainly funding allied lawyers toward maintaining a substantial in-house litigation operation. Its work now combines direct courtroom representation, grants and support for allied attorneys, legislative advocacy, public education, research, and policy campaigns. ADF has pursued cases involving religious expression in public schools and government facilities, compelled speech, public-accommodation law, abortion regulation, contraception coverage, adoption and foster-care eligibility, parental rights, and restrictions affecting transgender people. ADF has become one of the most prominent and well-funded legal organizations on the American religious right. Its attorneys and allied counsel have participated in numerous federal and state cases, including litigation before the Supreme Court of the United States. Cases associated with the organization include Good News Club v. Milford Central School, which concerned religious clubs' access to public-school facilities; National Institute of Family and Life Advocates v. Becerra, concerning compelled notices at pregnancy centers; 303 Creative LLC v. Elenis, concerning compelled expression and a Colorado public-accommodations law; and Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, in which ADF lawyers helped defend Mississippi's abortion restrictions. The Dobbs decision overturned Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey and returned primary authority over abortion regulation to the states. The organization has also sought to expand the legal protection available to religiously affiliated schools, charities, businesses, adoption agencies, and other institutions that object on religious grounds to same-sex marriage, abortion, contraception, gender-identity policies, or certain forms of sex education. Critics characterize these positions as efforts to weaken LGBTQ protections and anti-discrimination law. The Southern Poverty Law Center has designated ADF an anti-LGBTQ hate group, a label ADF rejects. Supporters describe it as a defender of religious freedom, free speech, parental authority, and biological-sex-based distinctions in law and public policy. ADF operates from its headquarters in Scottsdale, Arizona, with additional United States offices, including locations in Washington, D.C., and New York. Its international arm, Alliance Defending Freedom International, works through offices and affiliates in Europe, India, and other regions and has appeared before national courts and international bodies. The international organization reports activity in more than 100 countries. ADF's influence also extends through its network of allied attorneys, policy relationships, and former personnel who have gone on to hold senior public positions. People associated with the organization have included Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett, former Vice President Mike Pence, former attorneys general William Barr and Jeff Sessions, Senator Josh Hawley, and Speaker of the House Mike Johnson. ADF remains active in litigation, legislative advocacy, and public campaigns centered on conservative Christian legal priorities.

Alliance Defending Freedom was incorporated in 1993 as the Alliance Defense Fund by six prominent conservative Christian figures: Bill Bright, Larry Burkett, James Dobson, D. James Kennedy, Marlin Maddoux, and Mark Siljander, together with attorney Alan Sears. The founders believed that religious expression and Christian institutions were losing legal protection in the United States. Rather than immediately becoming a conventional litigation firm, the organization initially concentrated on financing cases and supporting a network of allied attorneys. It regarded the ACLU and similar civil-liberties organizations as important opponents in disputes over religion in public life. Alan Sears served as the organization's first president, chief executive, and chief counsel and led it for more than two decades. During this period, ADF developed a national attorney network and financed litigation involving religious clubs in public schools, religious displays, prayer, public funding, abortion, and the legal status of Christian organizations. Its legal strategy generally sought to interpret the First Amendment and other constitutional provisions in ways that permitted greater religious participation in public institutions and protected religious objections to government requirements. In 2012, the Alliance Defense Fund changed its name to Alliance Defending Freedom. The rebranding accompanied a change in operating model: the organization increasingly litigated cases directly rather than functioning mainly as a grant-making and case-support body. By the middle of the 2010s it had a large staff of attorneys and had become a major national force in conservative Christian public-interest litigation. Its profile grew through cases involving the Affordable Care Act, contraception mandates, religious access to public facilities, abortion regulation, and conflicts between anti-discrimination law and religious objections. ADF's Supreme Court work has included Good News Club v. Milford Central School, where the Court held that a public school could not exclude a religious club from after-hours access because of its religious viewpoint; Town of Greece v. Galloway, concerning legislative prayer; National Institute of Family and Life Advocates v. Becerra, where the Court invalidated California's compelled notices for certain pregnancy centers; and 303 Creative LLC v. Elenis, where the Court recognized a First Amendment protection against compelled expressive services in a narrow public-accommodations dispute. Abortion has become one of ADF's most consequential areas of work. ADF lawyers helped develop and defend Mississippi's gestational-limit legislation in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization. The Supreme Court's 2022 decision overturned Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey and returned broad authority over abortion policy to the states. ADF has also opposed abortion-rights protections, supported restrictions on abortion providers and abortion-related speech, and challenged government requirements affecting pregnancy centers. Leadership changed in 2017, when Michael Farris succeeded Alan Sears as chief executive. Farris was known for his work in the Christian homeschooling movement and for helping advocate for the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act. His tenure also included involvement in efforts challenging the results of the 2020 presidential election. Kristen Waggoner became president and chief executive officer on October 1, 2022, while retaining the general-counsel role. ADF expanded internationally through Alliance Defending Freedom International, which has offices, affiliates, and legal operations in Europe, India, and other regions. The international arm has participated in cases before national courts, the European Union, and international human-rights institutions. It has promoted religious freedom and the rights of Christian and other religious minorities while also pursuing positions on sexuality, family policy, abortion, and gender that align with the parent organization's conservative Christian outlook. The organization remains influential because of its litigation budget, attorney network, Supreme Court presence, donor base, and connections with conservative political leaders. Several former or associated lawyers have held prominent government positions. At the same time, ADF is highly controversial. The Southern Poverty Law Center has classified it as an anti-LGBTQ hate group, while critics have accused it of seeking to narrow LGBTQ protections and of presenting disputed or misleading evidence in some cases. ADF rejects such characterizations and describes its work as constitutional and religious-liberty advocacy.

• 2023

  303 Creative LLC v. Elenis

  [1]Alliance Defending Freedomen.wikipedia.org

  The Supreme Court rules that Colorado could not compel a website designer to produce expressive content inconsistent with her religious beliefs.

• 2022

  Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization

  [1]Alliance Defending Freedomen.wikipedia.org

  The Supreme Court overturns Roe and Casey after ADF lawyers help defend Mississippi's abortion restriction.

• 2022

  Kristen Waggoner becomes president and chief executive

  [1]Alliance Defending Freedomen.wikipedia.org

  Waggoner succeeds Michael Farris on October 1 while continuing as general counsel.

• 2018

  National Institute of Family and Life Advocates v. Becerra

  [1]Alliance Defending Freedomen.wikipedia.org

  The Supreme Court strikes down California notice requirements imposed on certain pregnancy centers, accepting a First Amendment challenge supported by ADF.

• 2017

  Michael Farris becomes chief executive

  [1]Alliance Defending Freedomen.wikipedia.org

  Farris succeeds Alan Sears after Sears's more than twenty-year leadership of the organization.

• 2012

  Name changed to Alliance Defending Freedom

  [1]Alliance Defending Freedomen.wikipedia.org

  The new name reflects the organization's move toward direct litigation and a broader legal-advocacy model.

• 2010

  International expansion accelerates

  [1]Alliance Defending Freedomen.wikipedia.org

  ADF International becomes increasingly active in cases before courts and international institutions outside the United States.

• 2001

  Good News Club v. Milford Central School

  [1]Alliance Defending Freedomen.wikipedia.org

  The Supreme Court rules that excluding a religious children's club from otherwise available public-school facilities constituted viewpoint discrimination.

• 1995

  Participation in Rosenberger-related religious-access litigation

  [1]Alliance Defending Freedomen.wikipedia.org

  ADF supports litigation that helped establish that public universities may not discriminate against religious viewpoints when distributing student-activity funding.

• 1993

  Alliance Defense Fund is incorporated

  [1]Alliance Defending Freedomen.wikipedia.org

  Conservative Christian leaders establish the organization as a nonprofit intended to support litigation defending religious expression and Christian institutions.

ADF presents itself as a defender of religious freedom, free speech, parental rights, and constitutional limits on government power. In practice, its litigation and advocacy portfolio is closely associated with conservative Christian positions opposing abortion, same-sex marriage, expansive LGBTQ protections, some transgender-rights policies, and certain anti-discrimination requirements. Supporters regard it as a major religious-liberty legal organization; critics view it as an influential anti-LGBTQ and anti-abortion advocacy group.

• Legal advocacy · 1993

  Strategic litigation

  ADF's core activity is constitutional and public-interest litigation in federal and state courts. Its cases commonly involve religious expression, free speech, abortion, public accommodations, education, parental authority, adoption, contraception, and gender-related regulation. The organization represents selected plaintiffs directly and works with allied counsel on cases intended to establish broad legal precedents.

• Professional legal network · 1993

  Alliance Defending Freedom Attorney Network

  The attorney network connects ADF with lawyers who pursue cases aligned with its religious-liberty and conservative constitutional agenda. In addition to direct representation, ADF has historically supported outside attorneys through grants, case coordination, training, and strategic assistance.

• International legal advocacy · 2010

  ADF International

  ADF International is the organization's global arm. It works in national and international forums on religious freedom, freedom of expression, family policy, abortion, sexuality, and the treatment of religious minorities. It has operated through offices and affiliates in Europe, India, and other jurisdictions and has appeared before international courts and institutions.

• Policy advocacy · 1993

  Legislative and policy advocacy

  ADF develops model legislation, provides testimony and legal analysis, engages policymakers, and supports public campaigns concerning religious liberty, abortion, parental rights, education, marriage, public accommodations, and sex- and gender-related laws.

• 2025

  Allegations of misleading research claims in Chiles litigation

  Reporting alleged that ADF substantially misrepresented research concerning psychological harm associated with conversion therapy in its challenge to Colorado's conversion-therapy restrictions. The allegations also concerned the absence of an earlier official complaint by the plaintiff described in the litigation.

  Source

• 2023

  Questions over the factual basis of the 303 Creative case

  Critics and legal commentators questioned the portrayal of the hypothetical same-sex couple and the factual posture of the dispute in which ADF represented the plaintiff. The controversy concerned the case's authenticity and implications rather than a finding that ADF committed a crime.

  Source

• Designation as an anti-LGBTQ hate group

  The Southern Poverty Law Center has designated ADF an anti-LGBTQ hate group because of its opposition to same-sex marriage, LGBTQ protections, and transgender rights. ADF disputes the designation and describes its work as religious-liberty advocacy.

  Source

Read more

• 2023303 Creative free-expression litigation

  United States

  ADF represented website designer Lorie Smith in a challenge to Colorado's public-accommodations law, arguing that the law could compel expressive content inconsistent with her religious beliefs.

  Outcome. The Supreme Court ruled for Smith in a 6–3 decision focused on compelled speech and expressive services.

  Source
• 2022Dobbs abortion litigation strategy

  United States

  ADF helped develop and defend Mississippi legislation designed to test the constitutional status of abortion restrictions. The organization participated in the litigation that culminated in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization.

  Outcome. The Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey and returned substantial abortion-regulatory authority to the states.

  Source
• He Gets Us donor-funded campaign

  United States

  Reference material identifies major donations routed through the Servant Foundation and The Signatry as supporting the He Gets Us advertising campaign, including advertisements shown during Super Bowl broadcasts. The campaign was associated with ADF funding but was not presented as an ADF-owned consumer brand.

  Source

• 2022

  Pursuit of state abortion restrictions capable of reaching the Supreme CourtStrategy

  Background

  ADF supported Mississippi legislation intended to challenge the constitutional framework established by Roe and Casey.

  Action taken

  ADF lawyers helped draft and defend the law and participated in the resulting Supreme Court litigation.

  Aftermath

  Dobbs overturned Roe and Casey, substantially changing United States abortion law.

  Source

• 2012

  Shift from case funding toward direct litigationStrategy

  Background

  The organization sought to expand its influence beyond supporting allied lawyers and to build a larger in-house litigation capacity.

  Action taken

  It changed its name from Alliance Defense Fund to Alliance Defending Freedom and increased direct representation in major constitutional cases.

  Aftermath

  ADF became a more visible national litigant and developed a significant Supreme Court practice.

  Source

1. 1Alliance Defending Freedomen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Alliance Defending Freedom official websiteadflegal.org