“Judges Gone Wild”… An Antidote

Dear Friend,

Imagine…me being interviewed on the Dr. Phil show. It was a wonderful opportunity — but it won’t have the far-reaching impact of the opportunity I am writing to offer you today…

Many organizations, conservative talk-show hosts and politicians decry judicial activism today, but they offer no long-term solution. They have no credible plan for judicial reform.

Thomas Jefferson warned us long ago that the seed of tyranny lies in the judiciary. When judges ignore the rule of law and act like legislators, we are no longer a government “of the people.”

Judges have managed to usurp the power of the people by ignoring the Constitution:

• The Supreme Court invented a “right” to abort children in 1973 and

• Created a “right” to engage in homosexual sodomy in 2003;

• Massachusetts judges sanctioned same-sex marriage in 2004;

• And this year, a church-attending judge in Florida ordered Terri Schiavo to die by starvation and dehydration.

Judicial activism begins in law school classrooms. Modern legal education undermines the rule of law. Until we change the way lawyers are trained, we will never resolve judicial activism.

In seminary, I learned the discipline of interpreting the Bible. I mastered biblical languages so that I could read the original text. I studied archaeology and history so I could better understand the historical context. Knowledge of the text and context is the foundation of accurate interpretation.

In contrast, law school taught that the Constitution is “a living document.” Not once was I required to read our founding charter. The Constitution lurked somewhere in the shadowy background, but the actual text was deemed irrelevant. If the approach to modern law school education were conducted in the seminary context, one could obtain a degree in theology without ever reading the Bible! It is no wonder that judges do not understand the rule of law.

The judiciary, which the Founding Fathers envisioned to be the weakest branch of government, has now become the strongest branch. This imbalance of power creates an oligarchy (government by the few). An oligarchy gives rise to tyranny, and when matured, tyranny replaces liberty.

What’s the solution?

The solution is not more “Christian” lawyers. Christians trained in the modern approach to law will merely become church-attending judges who are clueless about the rule of law.

The only true “antidote” to oligarchy is to properly train lawyers and judges in the rule of law, so they will adhere to a Christian worldview.

In the early 90s I began to pray about how Liberty Counsel could be instrumental in raising up moral lawyers and judges who understand the Constitution and our religious heritage, and I’m delighted to tell you—God answered my prayer.

Thanks to the help of faithful friends like you, Liberty Counsel is playing a vital role in combating judicial tyranny—through a successful program we began four years ago.

Through Liberty University School of Law, we are training, equipping, and providing internships for law students who are the next generation of judges and defenders of the faith!

In fact, at the end of this month, we will launch our expanded year-round internship program.

I can tell you personally, It only takes two years to see immediate results. We have participated in a smaller scale internship program over the past four years, and already, some of those interns—now lawyers—are law clerks in state and federal courts. Law clerks are attorneys who work with judges to research and write legal opinions. They are very influential. Here’s a story that illustrates the enormous impact of this program...

A significant pro-family case that gained national attention was argued before a federal court of appeals. The initial vote of the judges favored striking down the pro-family law. However, the term of the law clerk assigned the task of writing the draft opinion ended before it was completed. A new Christian law clerk replaced the outgoing clerk. Having received proper training in the rule of law, this Christian clerk abandoned the draft opinion and prepared a new one. This new draft upheld the law. When it was presented to the judges, a majority of them liked its reasoning, and this clerk’s draft opinion became the court’s final decision which upheld the pro-family law!

Even on a small scale—operating through the summer months, this internship pilot program has enjoyed immediate success…and NOW we are ready to fully deploy our internship-training program on a much larger scale—not just in the summer—but year round!

If you are serious about making a real difference in our courts—and I believe you are—then I want to invite you to become a FOUNDING PARTNER with me in Liberty Counsel’s Legal Internship Program.

A Founding Partner is someone who believes we can restore the rule of law and change the culture…one internship at a time.

As a Founding Partner, your monthly fi nancial commitment of just $25, $50, $100 or more as God has blessed you, will be vital as we launch this new year-round training facility.

Liberty University has generously provided Liberty Counsel with almost 10,000 square feet of offi ce space on the Virginia campus. Everything is in place—the law school, the students, the facility, and a tested track record. With the help of committed Founding Partners like you, we will be able to furnish a state-of-the-art office and staff the new facility, where we will train this next generation of judges and lawyers—the hope of our future!

The law students trained in Liberty Counsel’s internship program will make an immediate impact on the culture, having learned the foundations of law within the framework of a biblical worldview.

As a Founding Partner in our Legal Internship Program, you can take an active role in helping prepare these young warriors for battle. Let’s not just talk about changing the culture—join Liberty Counsel today in successfully doing something about it!

When you become a Founding Partner by committing to a gift of support of just $25 a month, I want to send you my book, Judicial Tyranny, which gives you even greater insight into the threat of “judges gone wild.” Or, when you become a Founding Partner in our Legal Internship Program with a monthly commitment of $50 or more, I want to send you Judicial Tyranny, as well as my brand-new book, Eternal Vigilance, which will enable you to use your constitutional
rights to impact the culture.

I will also send you periodic special updates on the success these young champions are having as they combat judicial activism in our courts, fi ghting to protect religious freedom, the sanctity of human life and the traditional family.

Just take a moment to visit our secure web site to become a Founding Partner and take a bold step today to join with Liberty Counsel as we pursue an effective strategy to make a real difference in the culture and in our courts.

Thank you for your continued prayers for our Ten Commandments case that I argued before the Supreme Court on March 2. The Justices are currently in the critical writing phase. A decision is expected no later than the end of June. For updated information, please visit LC.org or our special website, DefendTheTen.org.

Committed to changing the culture,

Mathew D. Staver

PS: Join with those who are determined to combat judicial activism and help us train up a new generation by becoming a Founding Partner in our Legal Internship Program today. Just visit our secure web site and enter your commitment of support of $25, $50, $100 or more today.

For a specific list of needs for our legal internship program, click here.

NOTE: My appearance on the Dr. Phil show with one of our clients is scheduled to air on May 17. Check our web site for further updates.

Thank you for your support. Please make checks payable to Liberty Counsel, P.O. Box 540774, Orlando, FL 32854. All gifts are tax-deductible and are used in the ongoing work and outreaches of Liberty Counsel. For questions or more information, call (407) 875-2100 or donate online on our secure web site.