A dramatic religious-freedom case in Maine is now before the Maine Supreme Judicial Court, and it strikes at the heart of parental rights and the First Amendment. In December 2024, a lower court judge issued a custody order that went far beyond typical parenting disputes: it barred a mother from taking her 12-year-old daughter to church and even from reading her the Bible without the father’s permission.
The mother, Emily Bickford, has primary custody of her daughter, Ava, while the father, Matthew Bradeen, has visitation rights. For more than three years, Bickford and Ava had attended Calvary Chapel in Portland — an evangelical church where Ava expressed a desire to be baptized. When Bradeen learned of this, he took his concerns to court, claiming church teachings were causing psychological harm to the child.
The custody order granted Bradeen exclusive control over all religious decisions for Ava. It even prohibits the child from attending church, being exposed to religious materials, or associating with church friends unless the father approves. That means no Sunday services, Christmas or Easter worship, Bible reading with her mother, or contact with her faith community.
Legal advocates for the mother argue that the ruling is an unprecedented infringement on religious liberty and parental rights. Liberty Counsel’s Mat Staver has said the lower court order “violates the First Amendment” because it prohibits contact not only with church services but even with the Bible and religious literature. He warned that if this kind of order stands, it will set a dangerous precedent allowing courts to strip fit parents of the right to raise their children in the Christian faith.
In her appeal to the state’s highest court, Bickford’s legal team pointed out that the record contained no finding of abuse or neglect, yet the lower court gave the father total veto power over religious upbringing — a drastic departure from established parental-rights law.
As the Maine Supreme Judicial Court weighs this case, conservatives and religious advocates across the country are watching closely, concerned about where the line will be drawn between religious freedom, parental authority, and judicial overreach.
The fundamental right of parents to raise their children in their faith is under attack, and you can track this issue with us at PhyllisSchlafly.com! Sign up for our emails today and join the discussion, again at PhyllisSchlafly.com. And join us tomorrow for the Phyllis Schlafly Report.
