Maine Mother’s Religious Dispute May Reach Supreme Court

A custody battle involving religious activities in Maine might rise to the U.S. Supreme Court, bringing parental rights and religious liberty into focus. Emily Bickford claims that preventing her daughter from attending church breaches her rights under the First and Fourteenth Amendments.

The Maine Supreme Judicial Court recently dismissed her constitutional claims, stating the restrictions were made out of concern for the child’s well-being rather than religious hostility.

Bickford’s case is backed by Liberty Counsel, who plans to petition the U.S. Supreme Court, asserting the decision poses a threat to religious freedom and parental rights.

Who Is Emily Bickford?

Bickford is entangled in a prolonged custody battle with former partner Matthew Bradeen, centering on their teenage daughter’s religious upbringing. The Maine district court’s order prohibits Bickford from taking her daughter to Calvary Chapel in Westbrook, granting Bradeen authority over church involvement. Decision-making regarding other religious bodies is shared.

Bickford argues the order unlawfully restricts her from raising her daughter within her Christian faith. Liberty Counsel, her legal support, stresses she is a competent parent who has never been abusive or neglectful and that governmental interference with religious upbringing is unwarranted.

Maine Supreme Court Decision

On September 1, Maine’s Supreme Judicial Court confirmed the lower court’s ruling against Bickford’s constitutional claims. It concluded the restrictions weren’t hostile toward Christianity, but based on evidence of messages received by the child causing harm and straining her relationship with her father.

The court noted messages depicting Bradeen as an adversary who persecuted her faith worsened familial tensions. Bickford’s failure to avert these harmful influences risked alienating the daughter from her father.

Judges emphasized family courts must often navigate parental disputes over children, asserting Bradeen’s approach prioritized child welfare over Bickford’s.

Will the Supreme Court Intervene?

Liberty Counsel is preparing to petition the Supreme Court, claiming the Maine decision raises crucial issues about parental rights and religious freedom. The organization asserts lower courts unfairly penalized Bickford for her faith, allowing government interference in upbringing decisions meant for parents.

The Supreme Court, which receives thousands of petitions annually, grants full reviews to only a minor fraction. Petitioners must typically demonstrate key constitutional questions or disparities in judicial rulings on similar legal matters.

Bickford’s legal advocates plan to argue the case involves precedents concerning religious liberty and parental rights. However, opponents underline the Maine court’s focus on the child’s emotional state and mitigating parental conflicts, not objections to Christianity.

Whether the Supreme Court opts to hear Bickford’s appeal remains to be seen, steering future custody disputes involving religious freedoms nationwide. If the case is accepted, it may become a focal point in upcoming Supreme Court deliberations.