WASHINGTON – Earlier this week, Kelvin Cochran – the Atlanta Fire Chief who was fired in 2014 for authoring a Christian devotional book that expressed traditionally Christian views on human sexuality – won a $1.2 million settlement from the City of Atlanta after a court determined that the City had unfairly discriminated against Cochran on the basis of faith.

Terry Schilling, executive director at American Principles Project, called the result a “big win” for religious freedom:

“Any effort to strip Americans of their right to religious freedom is a direct attack on our very way of life. As the progressive Left becomes more totalitarian and hostile to religious freedom, cases like these will unfortunately become far more prevalent. However, this victory for Mr. Cochran will serve as an important precedent for these future cases.

“Our Founders recognized the importance of religious freedom and made it clear in the First Amendment that government shall make no law “prohibiting the free exercise” of religion. Efforts to limit the ability of Americans to practice their faith are completely unconstitutional and should be repudiated in the courts and at the ballot box.”

To schedule an interview with Terry Schilling, contact Paul Dupont at (o) 202-503-2010 or pdupont@americanprinciplesproject.org.