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Thomas More Law Center Seeks to Pierce Veil
of Secrecy Surrounding Approval of Mosque
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ANN ARBOR, MI – The Thomas More Law
Center (“TMLC”), a national public interest law firm based in Ann Arbor,
MI, announced that yesterday afternoon it filed a Public Records Request
with Bernards Township on behalf of Township resident Cody Smith.
Mr. Smith had written a scathing letter to the Bernards Township
Committee attacking “the stench” of secrecy surrounding the scheduled
special meeting which had quickly been called for late Friday, April 21st.
That meeting was subsequently cancelled because of the lack of proper
notice. Richard Thompson, President and Chief Counsel of TMLC,
observed, “Based on the timing of the meeting late in the day on Friday,
the meeting agenda, and discovery that resolutions approving the
settlements of both the DOJ and the Islamic Society of Basking Ridge
(Islamic Society) lawsuits had already been filed with the Township
clerk, it is probable that a decision had already been secretly made and
that the scheduled meeting was a mere formality.”
TMLC represents several Bernards Township residents who were served with
intrusive and harassing subpoenas by Islamic Society attorneys.
Their only involvement was to make public comments at a public Township
hearing. They were non-parties to the lawsuit, had never had an official
role in the Township and had no authority to deny the Islamic Society’s
permit request. Nonetheless, the subpoenas demanded the production
of emails, voice mails, text messages, and social media posts concerning
Muslims, Islam, or anything to do with Muslim worship. The
subpoenas clearly infringed upon their First Amendment rights to free
speech and freedom of association. The only purpose of the
subpoenas was to punish residents who dared to oppose the Islamic
Society’s request.
Thompson continued: “The Township Committee knows that its
motivations for disapproving the proposed zoning changes were completely
proper and were not animated by hatred for any person or group.
Unfortunately, the tactics of intimidation waged by the Islamic Society
and the deep-state Department of Justice attorneys, appointed by former
Attorney General Eric Holder to carry-out his left-wing agenda, may have
taken their toll.
“We filed this open records request to obtain the settlement agreements
that we believe have already been tacitly agreed upon by the
parties. In doing so, we hope to shine a light on the dark tactics
employed by the Islamic Society, its attorneys, and deep-state attorneys
within the Department of Justice.”
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