FFRF Action Fund’s “Secularist of the Week” is a stellar state representative who has ensured that Colorado Catholic hospitals have to be upfront about what medical procedures they do not offer. Meanwhile, our “Theocrat of the Week” is a leading Christian nationalist voice narrowing down prospective Supreme Court justices to those who align with a “biblical worldview.”
Phillip Jauregui is senior counsel for AFA Action, the American Family Association’s political advocacy arm, and director of the Center for Judicial Renewal, a division of AFA Action. AFA Action advances biblical values in society and government by influencing public policy. Over the weekend, Jauregui spoke at the Family Research Council’s 2024 Pray Vote Stand Summit in Washington, D.C., where he prayed over the Supreme Court and discussed exactly how his group wants to select the new Supreme Court justices who would likely replace Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas.
Describing his organization’s work, Jauregui said: “Our goal is to enlist your help to identify, nominate, and confirm great justices. Not just good ones, great ones, to save the nation. Because we’re at a critical point, and we see what’s happened with the Supreme Court over the last year.” He reflected on the current Supreme Court by saying, “We can complain about the court sometimes, but guys, they are doing incredible work. And we need to continue to pray them all the way home.”
Jauregui then prayed over the Supreme Court, intoning, “Father, Father, thank you, thank you, for what you’re doing at the Supreme Court. They’re like a prodigal son, in a sense. They’ve been in a far country, but they’re coming to their senses, and they’re on their way home.” Just as Christian nationalists believe that God has mandated Donald Trump to lead the country, they seem to believe that the Supreme Court is working through God’s word, too.
During his remarks, Jauregui also presented his group’s published research on how to best measure prospective justices. This research is shared with allied organizations and grassroots supporters and aims to influence the president and the Senate in judicial appointments.
Notably, the first principle the research rates prospective justices on is a “biblical worldview.” Jauregui explained on Center for Judicial Renewal’s website: “I conclude that the greatest predictor of [judicial nominees’] faithful and constitutional performance on the bench is their ‘worldview’ or ‘Christian faith.’” Absurdly, one of the six Center-approved, “great” prospective nominees for the Supreme Court is American Family Association President Kristen Waggoner.
As if this isn’t enough, Jauregui has also represented former Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore in his sexual misconduct cases and his cases involving a Ten Commandments monument and the denial of same-sex couples marriage licenses. Jauregui has certainly earned his “theocrat” title.
In better news, a law went into effect last week that requires all Colorado hospitals and community clinics to publicly list what procedures they will not perform or are “subject to significant restriction” for nonmedical reasons. One of the bill’s primary sponsors, Colorado state Rep. Brianna Titone, is this week’s “secularist” for this vital work ensuring unchecked religious hospitals can’t harm unaware patients.
Titone, representing Colorado’s 27th District since 2019, introduced last year House Bill 1218, the “Patients’ Right to Know Act,” along with state Rep. Kyle Brown and state Sen. Sonya Jaquez Lewis. Gov. Jared Polis signed the bill into law last May.
The law is especially important for Catholic hospitals, which are controlled mainly by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. This entity does not allow hospitals to perform any procedures that violate Catholic doctrine, such as abortions, tubal ligation or vasectomies.
Under the law, the state’s Department of Public Health & Environment requires all health care facilities to fill out a form documenting which services they do not provide. The department now publishes those forms on its website and will update the information every two years. The department is also required to investigate any complaints regarding noncompliance.
Titone is the first openly transgender state legislator elected in Colorado and the fourth elected in the United States. She serves as the chair of the Legislative LGBTQ+ Caucus and the Joint Technology Committee. In September, Titone also appeared at FFRF’s National Convention, speaking on its 2024 Secular Legislative Panel. We thank her for her essential work protecting vulnerable Coloradans seeking medical care and her allyship as a secular legislator.
FFRF Action Fund is a 501(c)(4) organization that develops and advocates for legislation, regulations and government programs to preserve the constitutional principle of separation between state and church. It also advocates for the rights and views of nonbelievers, endorses candidates for political office, and publicizes the views of elected officials concerning religious liberty issues.