WASHINGTON—The Heritage Foundation’s Oversight Project filed a lawsuit yesterday on behalf of Moms for Liberty against the Biden Administration, demanding the Departments of Justice, Homeland Security, Health and Human Services, and Federal Bureau of Investigation produce all records concerning the parental rights organization and the Biden Administration’s coordination with the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC).
This lawsuit comes after the agencies refused to comply with the Oversight Project’s Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests for the same documents.
Prior to requesting these documents, the SPLC produced a report which listed Moms for Liberty as an “extremist” coalition of “far-right antigovernment parents” who are known for “intimidating and harassing teachers and school officials.” It also claimed that Moms for Liberty is “one of the most recognized names in the anti-student inclusion movement,” citing the group's opposition to critical race theory.
SPLC officials have made multiple visits to the Biden White House, and media reports have highlighted concerning examples of federal law enforcement agencies relying on the SPLC’s “hate group” list to weaponize the federal government against American citizens.
Mike Howell, director of the Oversight Project at The Heritage Foundation commented on the filing:
“President Biden needs to leave the moms alone. But his crooked administration won't because these parents are the only thing standing between the government and your children. We know that the radical Southern Poverty Law Center has targeted the patriots at Moms for Liberty which resulted in an unhinged mob harassment campaign. We also know the Biden Administration and their weaponized law enforcement agencies work closely with the Southern Poverty Law Center. In fact, our recent investigation discovered that SPLC employees visited the White House 11 times in the past three years, including six meetings with the president himself.
“Under our rights as American citizens, we demanded from these agencies all communications about Moms for Liberty. In clear violation of the law, these agencies are withholding this information. So now, we are fighting back for parents across the country and suing President Biden and his corrupt administration.”
Tiffany Justice, Co-founder of Moms for Liberty provided the following statement on today’s filing:
“Moms were harassed and targeted by their own federal government for speaking out during the COVID school shutdowns. The Department of Justice labeled parents of public school kids “domestic terrorists”. Then, the SPLC puts a target on our backs by falsely accusing us of anti-government extremism. Exercising our free speech rights to attend public school board meetings that decide how our public schools operate is not “extremism”. It is American. We are very thankful the Heritage Foundation is standing with our moms and fighting to get the public information surrounding the Biden Administration's work with the SPLC. Why would they not comply with public records requests? What do they have to hide? We look forward to the truth coming to light.”
Moms for Liberty is an organization of parents, former school board members, and concerned citizens who are dedicated to fighting for the survival of America by unifying, educating and empowering parents to defend their parental rights at all levels of government. The organization was founded in 2021, after COVID restrictions forced most students to take classes online. Moms for Liberty has been active in school districts across the country, pushing back on radical gender and race ideology in schools.
