New York, NY, May 29, 1998…The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) welcomed an initiative by more than 20 law school deans urging members of Congress to vote against the misleadingly-named "Religious Freedom Amendment." In a letter circulated on Capitol Hill, the deans expressed opposition to the amendment authored by Representative Ernest Istook (R-OK), explaining that "this amendment would substantially change the protections for religious freedom that are now guaranteed by the First Amendment."

The legal scholars, who sent the letter in their individual capacities, asserted that "the First Amendment’s guarantees of religious freedom have served our nation well for two centuries." The Istook amendment, they said, would "do violence" to "the principles of religious liberty upon which America has flourished."

ADL, long a leading proponent of separation of church and state, has actively opposed the Istook Amendment. Through a lobbying effort on Capitol Hill as well as grassroots campaigns in communities across the country, ADL has urged citizens and their Representatives in Washington to work for the defeat of Rep. Istook’s unnecessary and divisive initiative.

The Anti-Defamation League, founded in 1913, is the world's leading organization fighting anti-Semitism through programs and services that counteract hatred, prejudice and bigotry.