PORTLAND, ME – Back in December of 2024, a Democrat judge who reportedly moonlights as an LGBT activist imposed a confounding order against a mother regarding the upbringing of her child, effectively banning the woman from taking her 12-year-old daughter to her local church.
Since 2024, Emily Bickford has been at the center of a religious and legal conundrum that pits the right of freedom of religion – and by extension, the religious upbringing of a child – and the often cited overreaching nature of family courts in the realm of custody battles.
In a December 2024 ruling handed down by District Judge Jennifer Nofsinger, the judge granted a requested custody modification brought forth by Matthew Bradeen, the father of Bickford’s child, affording him the sole authority regarding what church, if any, their daughter is allowed to attend.
In Bradeen’s argument which Judge Nofsinger sided with, he claimed his daughter’s attendance at the Calvary Chapel of Portland was causing the child to experience “panic attacks” and exhibit “alarming psychological signs.” Bradeen also enlisted the help of a purported expert witness who claimed that upon analyzing some of the church sermons, the religious doctrine conveyed could pose psychological risks to the child.
Among the cited evidence of psychological harm presented before the court included instances where the young girl expressed concerns that her father and sibling wouldn’t go to Heaven for not attending church and alleged notes found inside the home mentioning that “the rapture is coming.”
Judge Nofsinger, who was originally appointed to the court in 2022 under the surname “Rush,” had reportedly taken the name of her domestic partner Jodi Nofsinger who is a retired attorney. Jodi’s biography notes her past work with “the groundbreaking lawsuit brought on behalf of transgender high school student Nicole Maines” which revolved around a biological male using the women’s facilities at his high school.
Liberty Counsel is currently representing Bickford pro bono while the case trudges on through the court system, seeing the matter as a blatant attack on their client’s First Amendment rights and religious liberties.
Speaking publicly for the first time regarding the legal battle, Bickford recounted a conversation with her daughter who is also confused why she can be kept away from the church she seemingly enjoyed attending.
“Being in church is our whole life. We just love coming to church,” Bickford stated, later adding, “She says, ‘I just don’t understand why I can’t just go to church. If it goes against the Constitution, then why can’t I go to church?’”
Oral arguments were hard by the state supreme court this past November, with the justices actively deliberating to this day on where to draw the line between the perceived welfare of a child and the religious liberties afforded by the Constitution. If the Maine Supreme Judicial Court sides with Judge Nofsinger’s prior ruling, Liberty Council intends to bring the matter to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Since 2024, Emily Bickford has been at the center of a religious and legal conundrum that pits the right of freedom of religion – and by extension, the religious upbringing of a child – and the often cited overreaching nature of family courts in the realm of custody battles.
In a December 2024 ruling handed down by District Judge Jennifer Nofsinger, the judge granted a requested custody modification brought forth by Matthew Bradeen, the father of Bickford’s child, affording him the sole authority regarding what church, if any, their daughter is allowed to attend.
In Bradeen’s argument which Judge Nofsinger sided with, he claimed his daughter’s attendance at the Calvary Chapel of Portland was causing the child to experience “panic attacks” and exhibit “alarming psychological signs.” Bradeen also enlisted the help of a purported expert witness who claimed that upon analyzing some of the church sermons, the religious doctrine conveyed could pose psychological risks to the child.
Among the cited evidence of psychological harm presented before the court included instances where the young girl expressed concerns that her father and sibling wouldn’t go to Heaven for not attending church and alleged notes found inside the home mentioning that “the rapture is coming.”
Judge Nofsinger, who was originally appointed to the court in 2022 under the surname “Rush,” had reportedly taken the name of her domestic partner Jodi Nofsinger who is a retired attorney. Jodi’s biography notes her past work with “the groundbreaking lawsuit brought on behalf of transgender high school student Nicole Maines” which revolved around a biological male using the women’s facilities at his high school.
Liberty Counsel is currently representing Bickford pro bono while the case trudges on through the court system, seeing the matter as a blatant attack on their client’s First Amendment rights and religious liberties.
Speaking publicly for the first time regarding the legal battle, Bickford recounted a conversation with her daughter who is also confused why she can be kept away from the church she seemingly enjoyed attending.
“Being in church is our whole life. We just love coming to church,” Bickford stated, later adding, “She says, ‘I just don’t understand why I can’t just go to church. If it goes against the Constitution, then why can’t I go to church?’”
Oral arguments were hard by the state supreme court this past November, with the justices actively deliberating to this day on where to draw the line between the perceived welfare of a child and the religious liberties afforded by the Constitution. If the Maine Supreme Judicial Court sides with Judge Nofsinger’s prior ruling, Liberty Council intends to bring the matter to the U.S. Supreme Court.
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