Liberty Counsel
Liberty Counsel is a conservative legal group that focuses on defending religious liberty. 1 It has also been involved in cases supporting pro-life causes and opposing same-sex marriage. 2 3 In 2022, the organization filed several lawsuits on behalf of workers who sought a religious exemption to the COVID-19 vaccine. 4
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Background
Liberty Counsel is an Orlando, Florida-based religious freedom organization founded in 1989 with offices in Washington, D.C. and Virginia. 1 Liberty Counsel says that it is a Christian ministry and that every ministry and project of the group is based upon Christian scripture. 5 5
Liberty Counsel’s board of directors has adopted a Christian doctrinal statement affirmed by every staffer. However, the group does not limit its legal services to Christians and says the rights of Christians are impacted by the rights of others. The organization coordinates with other religious liberty, pro-life and pro-family organizations. 6
In 2003, Liberty University School of Law entered into a partnership with Liberty Counsel to establish the Center for Constitutional Litigation and Policy on Liberty University’s Lynchburg, Virginia, campus. 7
Liberty Counsel has defended the public display of the Ten Commandments and defended the right to prayer in public schools. 2 Liberty Counsel has also argued against bans on so-called “conversion therapy” targeted to gay and lesbian minors. 8
Leadership
Matthew D. Staver is the chairman and founder of Liberty Counsel. 6 He is also the vice president and chief counsel of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference which includes more than 42,000 Evangelical Hispanic churches. Previously, he was a vice president of Liberty University and a former dean at Liberty University School of Law. He is the host of the Faith and Freedom podcast and radio program. 9
Anita L. Staver is the president and general counsel of Liberty Counsel and an attorney. 6 She is also the general counsel for Liberty Counsel Action. She is admitted to practice before all 12 federal courts of appeals. She co-authored two law review articles and wrote for The Popular Encyclopedia of Christian Counseling. 10
Litigation Activities
Liberty Counsel litigates pro bono for individuals, organizations, and churches defending religious liberty, the sanctity of human life, and family issues. 3
Liberty Counsel successfully argued to keep the Child Evangelism Fellowship Good News Clubs in multiple states where school districts attempted to ban the Christian clubs on school grounds. 3
The group defended pastors in Houston, Texas when the mayor subpoenaed their sermons to try to determine if they opposed a city gender-identity ordinance. 3
Clerks Opposed to Same-Sex Marriage
Liberty Counsel represented Pam Bradford, the county clerk in Van Buren County, Arkansas, and Kim Davis, the county clerk in Rowan County, Kentucky. Bradford eventually began issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Davis instead sued the state and said her religious liberties were infringed on. After a federal judge ordered Davis to jail in September 2015 for defying a federal court order to issue licenses to gay couples, Liberty Counsel defended her stance. 2
COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate
Liberty Counsel sued the U.S. military in 2022 after it denied religious exemptions to servicemembers from the COVID-19 vaccine. The Defense Department granted just four of about 29,000 requests for exemptions. 11
The organization scored a victory in July when the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio imposed a national preliminary injunction against the U.S. Air Force imposing a COVID-19 vaccine mandate on those making religious objections. 12
Further, Liberty Counsel represented 523 current and former health care workers at North Shore University Health System who had religious objections to the COVID-19 vaccine. In August 2022, the company reached a $10.3 million settlement in a class action lawsuit. 4
Affiliate Organizations and Events
The Liberty Church Council is the spiritual, theological, and doctrinal advisory body of Liberty Counsel. Liberty Counsel Action is a ministry focused on education and public policy.
The Liberty Prayer Network is an international prayer ministry. 5
Liberty Relief International is an international humanitarian ministry to persecuted Christians and religious minorities. Faith and Liberty is a Christian outreach to top-level federal government officials in Washington, D.C. 5
The National Pro-life Center is a pro-life initiative on Capitol Hill. 5 Liberty Counsel’s New Revolution Publishers produces books and educational materials on American history, the Founding Fathers, first principles, and Christian citizen activism. 3
Liberty Counsel has also sponsored Christians in Defense of Israel and the Liberty Ambassador Counsel connects Americans with the state of Israel. 3
Liberty Counsel has conducted the annual “Friend or Foe” Graduation Prayer Campaign designed to educate and, if necessary, litigate to ensure that prayer and religious viewpoints are not suppressed during graduation ceremonies. 3
Financial Statistics
Total Assets
Total Revenue
Total Expenses
Revenue Detail
Expenses Detail
Employee Compensation
- Number of Employees: 38
Highest Earning Employees
| Employee | Title | Total Compensation |
|---|---|---|
| Mathew Staver | Founder/Chairman | $152,500 |
| Anita Staver | President/Attorney | $150,000 |
| Harry Mihet | VP of Legal Affairs | $137,500 |
| Candice McGuire | Secretary/Director | $57,000 |
Grant Activity
All-time grants received statistics from Candid dataset:
- Total Grant Value: $9,140,584
- Number of Grants: 420
- Number of Funders: 112
Selection of highest value grants received from the last seven years:
All-time grants given statistics from Candid dataset:
- Total Grant Value: $210,338
- Number of Grants: 3
- Number of Recipients: 3