An attorney with the Liberty Counsel spoke to the Christian Post earlier this month to discuss Calvary Chapel Belfast’s ongoing legal battle against the University of Maine for alleged religious discrimination.
The Liberty Counsel is representing the Maine church in its legal battle that began last year when UMaine initially accepted Calvary Chapel’s winning bid to purchase the Hutchinson Center, only to renege on the agreement.
“When Calvary Chapel Belfast called us and told us what had occurred during the procurement process there in Maine, it was clear to us that there was religious discrimination taking place, and so we agreed to represent them to make sure that did not continue,” said Liberty Counsel Associate Vice President of Legal Affairs, Daniel Schmid.
He warned that if UMaine ultimately prevails in its legal battle, it will send a wide-ranging message that religious groups can’t fully participate in public life.
“The broader implications are that religious entities aren’t welcome in the public square,” he said.
The chapel believes that UMaine ultimately reneged on the sale because of the church’s traditional views on marriage and sexuality. Earlier this year, The Maine Wire obtained UMaine communications showing that the school faced intense anti-Christian backlash shortly before it decided to cancel the sale.
The Calvary Chapel decided to sue the school.
They filed a request for a temporary injunction to prevent UMaine from selling the center to another buyer while the suit remained ongoing, but it was rejected in January.
The legal battle has continued, with a Biden-appointed judge ruling against them in May, claiming that UMaine demonstrated no religiously discriminatory behavior and that the decision was made simply on the basis of cost savings.
The Church has since filed an appeal with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit.
Schmid is adamant that UMaine’s decision was motivated by religious discrimination.
“We had testimony from numerous government officials showing that it was the level of religious hostility put to the university by donors, alumni, faculty, employees, and even legislators all saying, ‘if you sell this building to the church, we have to seriously rethink our support for the university system,’” he said.
