Pacific Justice Institute (PJI) is a Christian-aligned public interest law firm that specializes in cases involving religious freedom, parental rights, and freedom of speech. PJI coordinates a network of affiliated attorneys nationwide to oversee court actions relating to its interest areas. ¹

Activities

To support parental and workers’ rights, Pacific Justice Institute launched “Operation Pushback” in October 2021 to provide nationwide pro bono legal services to individuals who have religious-based objections to COVID-19 vaccine mandates. PJI calls these government mandates oppressive and a threat to religious freedom. ²

In 2021, Pacific Justice Institute filed a lawsuit against Broward County Public Schools (BCPS) in defense parents’ fundamental rights to educate their children. The lawsuit was filed of on behalf of Florida Citizens Alliance (FLCA), a parental rights organization that supports K-12 education reform, and alleged that BCPS may be exposing children to pornographic material, including detailed drawings of sexual acts. The lawsuit further claims that BCPS is not complying with Florida’s public records law, as it has not fulfilled FLCA’s request to disclose whether certain books allegedly containing such material are available to students. ³

Pacific Justice Institute has litigated in support of state legislation prohibiting persons born male from participating in women’s sports. Supporters argue legislation is necessary to prevent persons born male from competing on female teams due to their physiological advantages over persons born female. PJI asserts that the U.S. Constitution’s Equal Protection Clause and the federal civil rights law Title IX, which mandates equal educational opportunities for girls, require separate teams for boys and girls to ensure a fair opportunity for girls to compete. Pacific Justice Institute further claims that women’s sports are being threatened by the Biden administration’s efforts to halt federal funding to schools that do not allow transgender persons born male who live as female to play women’s sports. ⁴

Funding

Pacific Justice Institute is funded by donations from individuals, foundations, and corporations. While PJI does not disclose its donors, tax filings confirm donations from Donors Trust ($149,750 in 2019), ⁵ the James and Joan Lindsey Family Foundation ($130,000 in 2020), ⁶ and the Bader Family Foundation ($93,000 in 2020). ⁷

People

Staff

Brad Dacus is the founder and president of Pacific Justice Institute. Dacus is a former legislative assistant to former U.S. Senator Phil Gramm (R-TX). ⁸

Kevin Snider is chief counsel at PJI. Snider formerly served on the legal experts panel of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability and on the editorial advisory board of Christianity Today’s Church Law and Tax Group. ⁹

Advisory Board

Ed Meese served as U.S. Attorney General in the Reagan administration and is the chairman of PJI’s Advisory Board. ¹⁰

Board of Trustees

Carl Heft is the president of the Laguna Hills Chamber of Commerce. ¹¹

Phil Liberatore is the treasurer of the board of PJI and a former Republican candidate for U.S. Congress from California. ¹²

1. “About Us.” Pacific Justice Institute. Accessed January 4, 2022. https://pacificjustice.org/about-us/.
2. “PJI Launches ‘Operation Pushback.’” Pacific Justice Institute. Accessed January 10, 2022. https://pacificjustice.org/press/pji-launches-operation-pushback/.
3. “PJI Sues Florida School District Hiding Potentially Pornographic Material from Parents.” Pacific Justice Institute. August 2, 2021. Accessed January 10, 2022. https://pacificjustice.org/press/pji-sues-florida-school-district-hiding-potentially-pornographic-material-from-parents/.
4. “PJI Center For Public Policy Steps Up to the Plate For Women’s Sports.” Pacific Justice Institute. February 25, 2021. Accessed January 10, 2022. https://pacificjustice.org/press/pji-center-for-public-policy-steps-up-to-the-plate-for-womens-sports/.
5. Donors Trust, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2019, Schedule I, Part II.
6. James and Joan Lindsey Family Foundation, Return of Private Foundation (Form 990-PF), 2020, Part XV, Line 3a.
7.  Bader Family Foundation, Return of Private Foundation (Form 990-PF), 2020, Part XV, Line 3a.
8. ^[1] “Brad Dacus.” Pacific Justice Institute. Accessed January 4, 2022. https://pacificjustice.org/attorney-bios/brad-dacus/.
9. “Kevin Snider.” Pacific Justice Institute. Accessed January 4, 2022. https://pacificjustice.org/attorney-bios/kevin-snider/.
10. “Questions and Answers.” Pacific Justice Institute. Accessed January 4, 2022. https://pacificjustice.org/about-us/questions-and-answers/.
11. “Board & Staff.” Laguna Hills Chamber of Commerce. Accessed January 8, 2022. https://www.lagunahillschamber.com/board-staff/.
12. “Phil Liberatore.” Ballotpedia. Accessed January 4, 2022. https://ballotpedia.org/Phil_Liberatore.