1st Amendment Partnership Statement on Subpoenas Issued to Houston, TX Pastors

Washington, DC-The 1st Amendment Partnership made the following statement regarding subpoenas issued to several Houston, TX-area pastors in connection with a controversial city ordinance and related lawsuit:

Recently, attorneys representing the City of Houston, Texas issued subpoenas for sermons, speeches, and a wide variety of private communications involving several area pastors. Mayor Annise Parker has sent conflicting signals about her view of the propriety of the subpoenas, tweeting Tuesday that the pastors’ communications are “fair game,” though insisting later that she only recently became aware of the subpoenas, considered them overly broad, and would insist on narrowing their scope. 

Though the heart of this situation is a traditional political dispute between those with opposing ideas, the frightening overreach by Mayor Parker and her staff have transformed this dispute into a matter of religious freedom. Absent extraordinary circumstances, public officials should never use the force of law to demand the private communications between ministers and those they serve. Any pastor, priest, rabbi, or imam would feel intimidated under these circumstances. We call on Mayor Parker to bring an end to this episode, and vigilantly guard the religious liberty of every Houstonian by ensuring that future legal actions do not bring the state into the inner workings of a church.  

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