Alliance Defending Freedom

The Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), formerly the Alliance Defense Fund, is an American <a href="/facts/Christian_right/98P9XalN">conservative Christian</a> legal advocacy group. It works to expand Christian religious practices within public schools and in government, and is most known for its stance on <a href="/facts/United_States_anti-abortion_movement/dUcow6DC">outlawing abortion</a>, opposing <a href="/facts/Same-sex_marriage/J2dpSgaV">same-sex marriage</a> and other <a href="/facts/LGBT_rights/UpImJVJQ">LGBTQ rights</a>, <a href="/facts/Transgender_rights_in_the_United_States/wQmVjL7n">transgender rights</a>, and <a href="/facts/LGBT_rights_opposition/q6HEqrrK">anti-discrimination laws</a>. ADF has played a role in at least 74 Supreme Court victories and directly represented 15 parties in Supreme Court wins. ADF is headquartered in <a href="/facts/Scottsdale%2c_Arizona/CXoyaSzY">Scottsdale, Arizona</a>, with branch offices in several locations including <a href="/facts/Washington%2c_D.C./enXPK156">Washington, D.C.</a>, and <a href="/facts/New_York%2c_New_York/YlyvFmVC">New York</a>. Its international subsidiary, Alliance Defending Freedom International, with headquarters in <a href="/facts/Vienna/NSpIURsA">Vienna</a>, Austria, operates in over 100 countries.
ADF is one of the most organized and influential Christian legal interest groups in the United States based on its budget, caseload, network of allied attorneys, and connections to significant members of the <a href="/facts/Political_right/CVoubHMm">political right</a>. <a href="/facts/Mike_Johnson/9hw4xY6l">Mike Johnson</a>, a former ADF attorney, <a href="/facts/October_2023_Speaker_of_the_United_States_House_of_Representatives_election/uccm3q9B">was elected</a> <a href="/facts/Speaker_of_the_United_States_House_of_Representatives/BtGvrhK1">speaker of the House of Representatives</a> on October 25, 2023. Others who have been associated with ADF include <a href="/facts/U.S._Supreme_Court/rJHothwW">U.S. Supreme Court</a> justice <a href="/facts/Amy_Coney_Barrett/VRmnxpLh">Amy Coney Barrett</a>, former vice president <a href="/facts/Mike_Pence/yF3PHK7L">Mike Pence</a>, former attorneys general <a href="/facts/William_Barr/z9zBuVGn">William Barr</a> and <a href="/facts/Jeff_Sessions/ahb29t8f">Jeff Sessions</a>, and Senator <a href="/facts/Josh_Hawley/cDdFGTph">Josh Hawley</a>. Since the <a href="/facts/U.S._presidential_election%2c_2016/Bs9DUEoc">election</a> of President <a href="/facts/Donald_Trump/pqqKY21P">Donald Trump</a>, ADF has become "one of the most influential groups informing the <a href="/facts/First_presidency_of_Donald_Trump/7Dlz31my">[Trump] administration</a>". It has been designated by the <a href="/facts/Southern_Poverty_Law_Center/T25z3Hf7">Southern Poverty Law Center</a> as an <a href="/facts/List_of_organizations_designated_by_the_Southern_Poverty_Law_Center_as_anti-LGBT_hate_groups/bkQGlYgx">anti-LGBT hate group</a>.
As of 2018 ADF attorneys have won a number of cases before the Supreme Court. It has taken positions including support for religious activity in public school and Christian prayer at <a href="/facts/Town_meetings/WVlN7c5f">town meetings</a>, narrowing <a href="/facts/Health_insurance/sGeHMbID">insurance coverage</a> for <a href="/facts/Contraception/qCzhxgH8">contraceptives</a>, prohibiting <a href="/facts/Same-sex_marriage/J2dpSgaV">same-sex marriage</a>, and supporting businesses in the <a href="/facts/Wedding_industry/5SygeHPV">wedding industry</a> that refuse to service gay marriages. ADF lawyers wrote the model for Mississippi's anti-abortion legislation, leading to the Supreme Court decision in <a href="/facts/Dobbs_v._Jackson_Women%2527s_Health_Organization/RqTEMn7H">Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization</a> to overrule <a href="/facts/Roe_v._Wade/v4RCpjmL">Roe v. Wade</a> that had established a <a href="/facts/Right_to_abortion/KKXDwMMR">right to abortion</a> in America in 1973.

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Alliance Defending Freedom