Major Win at VA Supreme Court!

Yesterday, the Virginia Supreme Court handed down a huge victory for our friend, Peter Vlaming, in a win for free speech and religious freedom!

Almost four years ago today, West Point High School French teacher, Peter Vlaming, was fired not for anything he said, but simply for refusing to actively use pronouns that were inconsistent with biological reality.  This compassionate teacher worked hard to find a compromise that would allow him to be true to his convictions while also protecting his student from any unwanted attention.  He used the student’s new preferred name, but avoided using any pronouns. But that wasn’t good enough for his school district, whose board fired Mr. Vlaming unanimously for that reason alone. After a long and tumultuous legal journey up to the Virginia Supreme Court, the long-awaited opinion has finally been released…and he won!

Our Founding Freedoms Law Center filed an amicus brief in this case in support of Vlaming.

While this is a major victory, it actually isn’t the end of the litigation. But it is, perhaps, the beginning of the end. The issue at hand was that the county circuit court refused to even hear Peter’s case, saying that Vlaming lacked standing to bring his claim to begin with, which prompted Vlaming and his legal team at Alliance Defending Freedom to appeal the ruling to the Supreme Court.

According to the Court’s 73-page opinion, “In sum, …Vlaming has asserted legally viable claims under the Constitution of Virginia, the VRFRA, and common-law contract principles. We reverse the circuit court’s dismissal order and remand this case for further proceedings consistent with this opinion.” While Peter can now move forward with an actual trial, we are hopeful that the Supreme Court’s strong opinion has paved the way for a final victory.

We are thrilled for Peter and the broader impact this case will have on all Virginians. The Family Foundation and our faithful supporters were there in the beginning, standing alongside Peter in the school board hearing and the courtrooms for support, and we will continue to do so. No one should live in fear of losing their job because of their faith, especially when they work for the government. Let’s all continue to pray for Peter Vlaming, his family, his legal team, and the judges as this case moves forward.