At issue in this case is a wedding photographer who seeks a religious exemption to Louisville's anti-discrimination ordinance for the purpose of denying wedding-related services to same-sex couples. ADL joined 14 other faith-based organizations in a brief led by Americans United for Separation of Church and State. The brief argues that the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment does not require granting the photographer a religious exemption to this neutral, generally…
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New York, NY, June 27, 2022 ... ADL (the Anti-Defamation League) is deeply disturbed by today's Supreme Court decision undermining the separation of church and state enshrined in the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.
“This is a significant change in how we approach prayer in public schools, and one that will have a negative impact in particular on students of marginalized faiths and non-religious students,” said Rachel Robbins, Chair of ADL’s Civil Rights…
This case involves a public high school football coach who filed a lawsuit claiming religious discrimination under the Free Exercise Clause and employment discrimination laws after he was fired for refusing to stop kneeling in prayer at the football field's 50-yard line immediately following every game. This practice started after the school district directed him to stop leading his team in pre- and post-game prayer, which the coach had done for eight years prior. The lower courts repeatedly…
At issue in this case is a free exercise challenge to a Maine secondary school tuition assistance program. To provide for high school education in over half of the State’s school districts that do not have public secondary schools, Maine pays for students to attend public or private schools which provide secular education, including religiously affiliated schools that do not indoctrinate religion. The lawsuit was brought by parents seeking to send their children to religious schools. ADL…
At issue in this case is the application of the First Amendment’s ministerial employee exception to an art teacher at a religious elementary school. Grounded in constitutionally mandated separation of church and state, the exception exempts religious institutions from all employment discrimination laws for employees deemed to be ministerial. A lower state court ruled that the teacher, who performed no “vital religious duties,” could move forward with her pregnancy and marital…
1-11 is a numeric symbol used by the Aryan Knights, an Idaho-based prison gang, to identify themselves. Substituting letters for numbers, 1 and 11 mean A and K, i.e., Aryan Knights.
The number 12 is a numeric symbol for Aryan Brotherhood groups (as are the numbers 1 and 2 separately), especially the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas. Substituting letters for numbers, 12 equals AB, i.e., Aryan Brotherhood.
The number 13 is a numeric symbol for the Aryan Circle, the large Texas-based racist prison gang. Substituting letters for numbers, 1 and 3 equals A and C, i.e., AC or Aryan Circle.
The number combination 14/23 is a numeric symbol associated with the Southern Brotherhood, the largest white supremacist prison gang in Alabama. The 14 is a reference to the white supremacist "14 Words" slogan ("We must secure the existence of our people and a future for white children"), while the 23 refers to the "23 precepts," a list of rules that Southern Brotherhood members must follow, such as "do not make a debt you cannot pay" and "no huffing lacquer." Additional Images:
Members of the Unforgiven, a Florida-based racist prison gang, use the numeric symbol 21-2-12 as a sort of slogan. Substituting letters for numbers, 21 stands for U ("Unity"), 2 stands for B ("Brotherhood") and 12 stands for L ("Loyalty"). Additional Images:
ALTERNATE NAMES: Aryan Alliance, Brotherhood of Aryan AllianceGroup Status: Active
The 211 Crew is a large racist prison gang based in Colorado. Its main tattoo (or "shield" or "patch") is a complex triangular symbol made out of interlocking arms, with hands grasping lightning bolts and the number 211 in the center. According to law enforcement, the name of the gang originated from the California penal code for robbery. However, members claim that 211 is a numeric code for BAA,…
ALTERNATE NAMES: Aryan Alliance, Brotherhood of Aryan Alliance
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The number 511 is a numeric symbol for the Oregon-based racist prison gang European Kindred. Substituting letters for numbers, the 5 and 11 equate to E and K, i.e., European Kindred. Additional Images:
The number 737 is a numeric symbol used by Public Enemy Number 1 (PENI), a California-based white supremacist gang present on California's streets and in its prisons. Unlike most white supremacist numeric symbols, 737 is not an example of number-letter substitution. Instead, the numbers 737 correspond to the letters P, D, and S on a telephone keypad. The initials PDS stand for Peni Death Squad, another name for the group. Additional Images:
Group Status: Active
The Alabama Aryan Brotherhood is one of many racist prison gangs that have adopted the Aryan Brotherhood name. It is an independent gang and has no connection to the "original" Aryan Brotherhood present in the California and federal prison systems. The primary Alabama Aryan Brotherhood tattoo or "patch" is in the popular "shield" format and consists of a shield-like emblem sporting four images, which could include the initials AB, SS lightning bolts, a swastika, an…
ALTERNATE NAMES: AB, The BrandThe Aryan Brotherhood is the oldest and most notorious racist prison gang in the United States, having started in California in the 1960s. It is present primarily in the California and federal prison systems. Many other prison gangs now also use "Aryan Brotherhood" as part of their name, such as the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas, but they are independent and unrelated to the "original" Aryan Brotherhood.
Because of its longevity, Aryan Brotherhood members have…
ALTERNATE NAMES: AB, The Brand
Read more about Aryan Brotherhood
The Aryan Brotherhood of Texas (ABT), a large and violent racist prison gang, uses a hand symbol consisting of a raised index finger and raised ring and little fingers (or the reverse), signifying the numbers 1 and 2. Substituting letters for numbers 1 and 2 stand for A and B, or Aryan Brotherhood. Sometimes ABT members may use a two-handed variation in which one hand "throws up" one digit and the other hand (belonging to the same or a different person) "throws up" two digits, again signifying…
ALTERNATE NAMES: AC, The DiamondGroup Status: Active
The Aryan Circle is the second-largest white supremacist prison gang in Texas and one of the largest such gangs in the United States. Its most common tattoo, known as a "shield" or "patch," consists of a square oriented to form a diamond shape. Inside the diamond is typically a swastika and the initials AC; it is also common to include SS lightning bolts. Because of this symbol, Aryan Circle members often refer to their gang as "The…
ALTERNATE NAMES: AC, The Diamond
Read more about Aryan Circle
The Aryan Circle is one of the largest white supremacist prison gangs in the United States. Its primary hand sign consists of holding up the thumb and the middle, ring, and little fingers of one hand, signifying the numbers 1 and 3 (which stand for AC). One can also hold up the little finger and the middle and index fingers, plus the thumb.
Group Status: Active
The Aryan Cowboy Brotherhood is a small white supremacist prison/street gang based primarily in Minnesota and Kentucky. Its main symbol consists of a helmeted and winged skull with the initials ACB. Additional Images:
Group Status: Active
The Aryan Knights are a white supremacist prison gang based primarily in Idaho. They often use the initials AK to identify themselves with tattoos or writing. Additional Images: