Charles LiMandri

src: www.fcdflegal.org

Charles LiMandri (born 1955) is an is an American lawyer. In a case that made national headlines, he prevailed against the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) in the defense of the Mount Soledad Cross in San Diego. The 27 year lawsuit is the longest court battle in the history of the First Amendment. Limandri has a private law practice, and in 2002 he founded the Christian law firm Freedom of Conscience Defense Fund to facilitate litigation regarding religious liberty.

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Early life and education

LiMandri was born in San Diego at Mercy Hospital in 1955. He attended Catholic primary and secondary schools, and graduated summa cum laude from Saint Augustine High School in 1973. His undergraduate studies were taken at the University of San Diego (USD), also a Catholic school. In 1977 LiMandri graduated from USD magna cum laude. He returned to his alma mater Saint Augustine for a brief period where he worked as a teacher and wrestling coach. Then he began his graduate work at Georgetown Law. During this period he spent a year studying abroad in England at Oxford University.

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Career

Legal practice

LiMandri started practicing law in San Diego in 1985. His primary areas are business law and personal injury. As of 2015, five attorneys are on staff at his law firm.

His first venture into religious freedom casework came in 2003 when he filed an amicus brief in a case to keep "Under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance. In the lawsuit, Elk Grove Unified School District v. Newdow, the United States Supreme Court ruled against Newdow.

The effort by the ACLU to remove the Mount Soledad Cross began in 1998. Erected in 1954 the 43 foot tall mountaintop cross is a familiar San Diego landmark. LiMandri's involvement began in 2004. For the next twelve years the case snaked its way though the state and federal judiciaries until ownership by a private organization was finally established in 2016. His efforts to prevent the destruction of the cross drew national attention and is his most high-profile case.

In a 2007 case LiMandri brought a lawsuit against the City of San Diego when they forced four firefighters to drive their fire truck in the annual gay pride parade against their deeply held religious beliefs. At the parade the firefighters were sexually harassed. In a jury trial, the verdict was returned in favor of the firefighters. Finally in 2011 the result was affirmed by the California Supreme Court.

At the 2009 Miss USA Pageant, then-Miss California Carrie Prejean was asked about same-sex marriage. Her reply, "I believe that marriage should be between a man and a woman..." caused controversy. When the Miss California USA Pageant fired Prejean on an unrelated violation of her contract, LiMandri filed a lawsuit. To which the pageant countersued. After a homemade sex video depicting Prejean surfaced both parties agreed to an undisclosed settlement.

Freedom of Conscience Defense Fund

In 2012 LiMandri founded Freedom of Conscience Defense Fund (FCDF) in order to help fund his pro bono work. FCDF's mission is to provide "pro bono legal services and spearheads educational initiatives on issues related to religious freedom, bioethics, and family values." FCDF is an allied firm with Alliance Defending Freedom, the Christian legal group. Maggie Gallagher, former chairman of National Organization for Marriage, is a boardmember.

"What was your name?" is a 2014 song by singer-songwriter Joyce Bartholomew. She said the song was inspired by an epiphany: "There has been 58 million abortions since 1973... and how many babies have been aborted and killed, and who would they have become if they had been given a chance?" The emotional video was an instant hit on YouTube. When the video service deleted the song LiMandri brought suit. Eventhough the Sixth District Court of Appeal ruled against Bartholomew, the video was eventually restored.

In 2017 two women entered Cathy Miller's cakeshop, Tastries Bakery, and requested a wedding cake for their same-sex wedding. Miller refused to create the custom cake due to her deeply held religious beliefs and the state sought a court order to force her to bake the cake. The case is similar to one currently before the Supreme Court Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission. On February 5, 2018, a judge of the Superior Court of California agreed with LiMandri's Free Speech argument and issued a preliminary ruling in favor of Miller to which LiMandri said was a "significant victory for faith and freedom."

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Personal life

LiMandri met his wife, Barbara, when she was working as a paralegal. The couple have five children. LiMandri is a devout Catholic.

src: www.limandri.com

References

src: www.limandri.com

External links

• LiMandri & Jonna LLP, official website
• Freedom of Conscience Defense Fund, official website

Source of the article : Wikipedia