A political consulting firm is suing the City of Ann Arbor is because it believes a city law forces them to “promote political” messages they don’t believe in.
Grant Strobl and Jacob Chludzinski, who run ThinkRight Strategies, filed the lawsuit Monday. They think the city’s current law contradicts their conservative and religious principles. Ann Arbor’s current ordinance makes it illegal to discriminate based on political beliefs.
This means if ThinkRight Strategies makes conservative content for candidates, it must also provide services to liberal candidates. Also, this law prohibits the company from promoting conservative messages on its website and must actively seek work promoting progressive ideas. People can be fined up to $500 for violating this law.
The lawsuit argues that this law violates their First and Fourteenth Amendments.
“This [law] imperils ThinkRight and violates core constitutional freedoms all Americans enjoy. No Democrat should be forced to write speeches for President Trump, design promotional materials for the National Rifle Association, or coach pro-life advocates to speak against abortion.”
Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), who is representing ThinkRight Strategies in this lawsuit has won almost 80 percent of its cases it is involved in.
“Americans should be free to advocate for the political ideals they cherish,” said ADF Legal Counsel Samuel Green. “Grant and Jacob created their business to advance their conservative political beliefs. But Ann Arbor’s law forces them to use their skills to promote political beliefs they oppose, like abortion and socialism. This coercion is not just un-American—it’s unconstitutional. While Grant and Jacob will work with anyone when it advances conservative political goals, they cannot use their talents to promote messages or causes that undermine their values.”
Strobl and Chluzinski are life-long Christians and conservatives who have advocated conservative beliefs since childhood. Their friendship formed while in college participating in the University of Michigan’s Young Americans for Freedom chapter.
The lawsuit asks the court to issue an injunction on the law while this case works its way through the court system.
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Zachery Schmidt is the digital editor of Battleground State News. Follow Zachery on Twitter.
Photos by Alliance Defending Freedom.
