Alabama GOP congressmen fight back on Eagle Forum subpoena in trans lawsuit
Alabama’s six Republican members of the U.S. House of Representatives are supporting the Eagle Forum of Alabama’s fight of a federal subpoena stemming from the organization’s support of banning hormone treatments and surgeries as transitional treatments for transgender minors.
The congressmen – Gary Palmer of Hoover, Mike Rogers of Saks, Barry Moore of Enterprise, Jerry Carl of Mobile, Robert Aderholt of Haleyville and Mo Brooks of Huntsville – signed a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland protesting the “overreaching subpoena” to the Eagle Forum.
The subpoena limits the Eagle Forum’s First Amendment rights, the letter said, and is a form of “political harassment” by the Department of Justice.
“Through the DOJ’s subpoena, you are seeking to limit those (First Amendment) rights by either intimidating Eagle Forum of Alabama from advocacy or bankrupting or delaying the organization from doing additional good work through a burdensome document request,” the letter said. “Not only does this subpoena appear to be a form of political harassment but it also appears to be arbitrary and capricious.”
The subpoena is related to the DOJ’s lawsuit challenging an Alabama law passed earlier this year on teen transgender treatments. A federal judge has blocked the lawsuit and the state is appealing that ruling. The Eagle Forum has filed a motion to quash the subpoena, which is seeking documents and correspondence over the past five years related to the organization’s support of the law.
“I am deeply concerned with the news that President Biden’s Department of Justice has subpoenaed Eagle Forum of Alabama, a non-profit organization, to turn over its communications related to the development of legislative text,” Aderholt, the senior member of the state delegation, said in a statement. “As Americans, we are protected by the First Amendment with the right to petition the government. This action by the U.S. Government is a blatant attempt to intimidate citizens from participating in the legislative process. It is vitally important that we hear from the Department of Justice about why they took this action and get an explanation for this violation.”
In his statement, Palmer, chair of the House Republican Policy Committee, said, “Eagle Forum of Alabama is an outstanding organization that represents the values of thousands of Alabamians. To have their first amendment rights infringed upon by the Department of Justice is disrespectful to our Constitution. Constitutional protections should not be dictated by the political views of individuals in the White House or their appointees. Attorney General Merrick Garland owes an explanation for the motives behind this aggressive action against an organization simply petitioning the government on an issue important to them.”