Liberty Counsel is appealing the case of Emily Bickford and her daughter to Maine’s Supreme Judicial Court. It was in response to the ruling of a lower court judge in December 2024 preventing Emily from taking her daughter to church, CBN reports.

Though never married, Emily Bickford and Matthew Braden had a daughter, Ava. Emily took on the role of primary care giver, with Braden having visiting rights.

The problems started after Emily and Ava, who will soon be turning 13, started attending Calvary Chapel Church in Portland, Maine. Three years later, Ava told her dad that she was going to be water baptized.

This outraged the father.

According to Liberty Counsel, with the help of an “ACLU judge” and a “Marxist former sociology professor from California”, Braden gained a favorable ruling.

It’s alleged that this former professor labeled any church that believed the Bible as a cult and stated it was “psychologically detrimental.”

Liberty noted that these arguments seemed to sway the judge, who gave the father the final say on religious upbringing.

According to Liberty Counsel, the judge’s ruling was so broad, it essentially curtails Ava’s right to attend any church or even to read the Bible.

In its news release, Liberty stated that Ava must have her father’s permission to, “Attend ‘any services, gatherings, or events associated with Calvary Chapel;’”

But Liberty added that the order goes even beyond that and includes, “any other church or religious organization, or exposure to the teachings of any religious philosophy or of the Bible in general.” 

This would include weddings or funerals if they take place within a church setting. It would also include any Christmas or Easter program. Since the father refuses to grant this permission, Ava can’t attend any religious services.

Secondly, the father has the final say on “What ‘material, literature, video, or other messaging associated with or created by Calvary Chapel’ she reviews;”

If Ava can’t read any material “associated with” Calvary Chapel. Liberty argues that this includes the Bible.

Thirdly Ava must get her father’s permission to “’associate or communicate with any member’ of Calvary Chapel.”  This means she is no longer allowed to hang out with friends, if they attend the church. It can even include those who don’t, if they decide at a future date to attend Calvary.

Liberty suggests that the court’s anti-Christian bias was revealed in a couple of ways. First, the judge refused to capitalize the word ‘god’ in her written decision. In its news release, Liberty noted that the father did the same thing in his deposition.

Secondly, WND reports that the judge stated that Emily is “a fit parent EXCEPT for the fact that she is a Christian.”

In its appeal, Liberty argued this ruling violates the Freedom of Religion guaranteed under the US constitution.

“This custody order banning Emily Bickford from taking her child to a Christian church because of its biblical teachings violates the First Amendment,” said Liberty Counsel Founder and Chairman Mat Staver. “The breadth of this court order is breathtaking because it even prohibits contact with the Bible, religious literature, or religious philosophy. The custody order cannot prohibit Bickford from taking her daughter to church. The implications of this order pose a serious threat to religious freedom.”