By Will Hall, Message Editor WASHINGTON, D.C. (LBM)—Louisiana Baptist national leaders are praising President Donald J. Trump as a man of his word for naming Neil Gorsuch as his U.S. Supreme Court pick. But a look at his nominees for cabinet posts shows the president has gone beyond just the minimum in keeping his promises to evangelicals -- 12 of his top 23 advisers, cabinet leaders and cabinet-level officials, are avowed Christians. SUPREME COURT NOMINEE Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, a Christian public policy ministry in Washington, D.C., said in an FRC news release he was pleased to witness the president “follow through on his promise and select a nominee from the list he presented during the campaign.” That final list contained 21 names -- 10 persons were identified by Trump in May 2016 and 11 more candidates were added, including Gorsuch, 4 months later at the request of conservative groups. All 21 individuals were described as strict interpreters of the Constitution. Perkins also serves as interim pastor of Greenwell Springs Baptist Church just outside of Baton Rouge. U.S. Rep. Mike Johnson, a member of First Baptist Church in Bossier City, likewise praised the president’s … [Read more...]

By First Liberty Institute communications Dallas, Texas – President Donald Trump's announcement of his nomination of Judge Neil Gorsuch to the U.S. Supreme Court has drawn praise from many conservatives, including Kelly Shackelford, president and CEO of First Liberty Institute. Shackelford praised Gorsuch’s consistent record on religious liberty. “As a candidate, President Trump promised to appoint pro-religious freedom judges to the Supreme Court,” Shackelford says. “Today, he took a positive step toward achieving that goal.” “As a religious freedom law firm, we have one criterion for evaluating judicial candidates. We ask, ‘Does this candidate have a proven record of upholding the Constitution, especially as it relates to religious freedom?’ I am pleased to say that Judge Gorsuch has just such a record, authoring or joining multiple landmark opinions upholding religious freedom.” Some of the most notable religious freedom opinions Gorsuch wrote or signed as a judge on the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals include: HHS Abortion Pill Mandate – Judge Gorsuch wrote and joined opinions supporting the rights of ministries and closely-held family businesses to be free from the burden imposed by the HHS Abortion Pill … [Read more...]