The Freedom From Religion Foundation has announced its opposition to several judicial nominees offered by President Donald Trump, including Matthew Kacsmaryk.
Last week, the FFRF issued a press release announcing its opposition to President Trump's judicial nominees. Among the nominees that the organization is opposing is Matthew Kacsmaryk, a Plano attorney, who has been nominated to fill a federal judicial vacancy in Amarillo.
The organization's opposition to Kacsmaryk stems from his position as deputy general counsel at the First Liberty Institute. The FFRF criticized Kacsmaryk and his fellow nominee, Jeff Mateer, for their ties to the First Liberty Institute.
"Mateer, Kacsmaryk and First Liberty are the fanatical vanguard of a concerted attempt to redefine 'religious freedom' to mean Americans may deny civil liberties to other Americans on the basis of religion," Freedom From Religion Foundation officials wrote in a statement, "The free exercise clause of the First Amendment was not intended to be a weapon to allow religionists to impose their religion on others."
Freedom From Religion Foundation officials concluded their opposition by saying, "This duo should not be rewarded with federal judgeships, which are powerful lifetime positions, where they would wreak havoc for decades upon our secular Constitution, the First Amendment and civil liberties."
If approved by the United States Senate, Kacsmaryk will fill a vacancy left by the retirement of Judge Mary Lou Robinson. Robinson has served in the position since 1979, when she was first nominated by President Jimmy Carter.
