Victory in Colorado: Criminal Charges Dismissed Against Faithful Pastors – But Our Fight for Religious Liberty Continues

We have tremendous news to share from Northglenn, Colorado: The City of Northglenn dismissed the criminal charges against the pastors and church members we represent. After being charged as criminals for their worship, prayer, fellowship, and charity, they can now breathe easier knowing these charges are behind them.

For more than four years, faithful members of three local churches in the Northern Denver area gathered peacefully every Tuesday and Thursday at a local park. They lived out their faith in a public space by sharing hot meals with the homeless, offering prayer, and proclaiming the Gospel. For years, there were no complaints, no disruptions – just believers serving “the least of these.” That was before the city decided to “crack down” on this charity. Citing a fabricated need to ease crowding and protect “typical park use,” the city passed a pretextual law banning recurring gatherings of groups of five or more.

This was obvious viewpoint discrimination and hostility toward only one group in particular: the Christian charities feeding the homeless. This is precisely what the First Amendment forbids. The ACLJ stepped in immediately. We filed a federal lawsuit, Baca v. City of Northglenn, challenging the discriminatory ordinance as unconstitutional under the Free Exercise Clause, Free Speech Clause, and Free Assembly protections.

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But our readers know that this didn’t end there. In fact, the City of Northglenn tried to scare these men with criminal charges, citing each of them with violating their new ordinance. Rather than backing down, the ACLJ again stepped into the breach, defending the men in their criminal cases as well. ACLJ attorneys filed comprehensive motions to dismiss these baseless charges and pushed back against the city’s attempts to delay justice.

Today marks a significant victory: Instead of responding to our motions, on the day its opposition was due, the city folded. The criminal citations have been dismissed. The pastors will no longer face prosecution simply for obeying God’s call to serve and worship in public. For now, at least. We praise God for this outcome and thank Him for the strength He has given these faithful servants who stood firm in the face of government overreach.

Yet our work is not finished. First, the federal civil lawsuit remains ongoing. We are committed to seeing Resolution CR-54 struck down entirely, ensuring that no church or believer in Northglenn – or anywhere – faces similar persecution for exercising their God-given, constitutionally protected rights. Second, if CR-54 stays on the books, these men risk further prosecution and additional criminal charges each week they go out to the park.

The U.S. Supreme Court has repeatedly affirmed that the government cannot discriminate against religious speech or exercise in public forums. In Reed v. Town of Gilbert (2015), the Court unanimously held that content-based restrictions on speech, including those targeting religious messages, are subject to the highest levels of scrutiny, declaring: “Government regulation of speech is content based if a law applies to particular speech because of the topic discussed or the idea or message expressed.” This principle directly applies to Northglenn’s ordinance, which singled out recurring religious gatherings while permitting secular ones.

Indeed, as our motion pointed out, the city’s claims that it is merely defending “typical park use” are farcical and unjustified. The city’s own website for the park shows many dozens of parkgoers in promotional photos, apparently demonstrating what the city considers “typical park use” – clearly contradicting the absurd claims that a recurrent gathering of five or more somehow constitutes “atypical” park use.

Government hostility toward faith will not stand. This case is part of a broader pattern we see across the country: attempts to silence Christians while allowing secular activities to flourish. But time and again, with your support, we have prevailed in defending religious liberty.

Thank you for standing with us through prayer, advocacy, and partnership. Together, we will continue to fight to ensure that every believer can freely live out their faith without fear of criminalization.

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