The News: WILL has filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of Terri Koschnick and Joy Buchman, Wisconsin-licensed counselors, challenging a Wisconsin rule banning consensual, client-driven Christian counseling. The challenge follows an 8-1 Supreme Court ruling that Colorado’s identical law was unconstitutional “viewpoint discrimination,” the “most blatant” kind of First Amendment violation.
The Quotes: WILL Deputy Counsel, Rebecca Furdek, stated, “Wisconsin’s rule is materially indistinguishable from Colorado’s statute held to be viewpoint discrimination by SCOTUS. When we notified the Evers administration of this fact, we were met with a blatant refusal to follow the Supreme Court holding, along with inflammatory, baseless rhetoric accusing WILL of ‘bullying’ children and Wisconsinites. However, Wisconsin counselors have every right to provide Christ-centered talk therapy to the clients who seek them out for that type of counseling.”
WILL Client, Terri Koschnick, stated, “Government officials should not be allowed to police the private conversations I have with my clients who voluntarily seek out my advice as a Christian counselor. They have no right to punish me for saying something they disagree with. That was again confirmed by our nation’s highest court.”