Birmingham, Ala. – Today, the Alabama Policy Institute (“API”), a conservative nonprofit in Birmingham dedicated to the defense of free markets, limited government, and strong families, announced the launch of the Alabama Center for Law & Liberty (“ACLL”), which will serve as API’s legal arm.
As a think tank, API researches and advocates for conservative policies. However, in order to support those policies once they have been enacted, API has also recognized the need to defend them in the courts. Consequently, API has launched the ACLL so that Alabama’s conservatives can have a voice in the judicial system.
The ACLL has also hired Matthew Clark of Prattville, AL, to serve as its Executive Director. Clark graduated from the Liberty University School of Law in 2012 in the top 10% of his class, having served on the law school’s law review editorial board and moot court board. From 2013 to 2016, Clark worked on the Alabama Supreme Court as a staff attorney. From late 2016 until now, he worked at the Foundation for Moral Law in Montgomery, authoring many amicus curiae briefs in high-profile federal cases and litigating before federal district and circuit courts and even the United States Supreme Court.
“It is a great honor to serve as the ACLL’s first Executive Director. My vision for the ACLL is to ensure that Alabama remains an outpost of freedom in the United States by defending our constitutional rights in the courtrooms,” Clark said.
As to protecting limited government, Clark said, “On the federal level, Congress is considering dangerous legislation, such as the Equality Act and the For the People Act, which would rob the people of freedom of conscience and the right to election integrity. On the state level, while we agree that COVID-19 is dangerous, we also believe that is it dangerous to let one person make all the decisions on how to deal with the crisis instead of letting the people’s representatives make the decisions. And on the local level, the ACLL is concerned about the Alabama cities that have enacted SOGI ordinances that force Christian small business owners to choose between their livelihoods and their consciences.”
As for free markets, Clark said, “The COVID restrictions over the past year have had a severe impact on small business owners who have been forced to close while their big-box competitors have been allowed to remain open. This illustrates the importance of allowing the people’s representatives to make any decisions concerning whether any restrictions are necessary or not so that Alabama’s small business owners will have a voice.” Clark added, “Supreme Court precedent also requires business licensing schemes to serve a legitimate state interest instead of merely protecting those already in business from competition. The ACLL will review the state’s licensing scheme to determine whether any of licensing rules violate that precedent.”
Finally, concerning strong families, Clark said, “The family is the building block of society. The ACLL will therefore stand with the State of Alabama as it defends its abortion ban through the courts, offering its assistance through amicus curiae briefs. The ACLL will also oppose any attempts to read gender fluidity into the Constitution or other laws that address sex discrimination.”
“The ACLL stands ready to defend Alabamians who have had their constitutional rights infringed, in hopes that Alabama remains an outpost of freedom in the United States,” Clark concluded.
For more information, visit the ACLL’s website, alabamalawandliberty.
Founded in 1989, API is an independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit research and educational organization dedicated to strengthening free enterprise, defending limited government, and championing strong families.