Maine’s highest court granted a father sole authority to decide whether his 11‑year‑old daughter attends her mother’s evangelical church, sparking a national debate over parental rights and religious freedom.
Maine Supreme Court Hands Father Final Say on Daughter’s Church Attendance
Judge Jennifer Nofsinger ruled in the Portland District Court that the child’s anxiety stemmed not from biblical teachings but from the mother’s failure to co‑parent on religious matters, according to The Maine Monitor.
The Maine Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the ruling on Tuesday, stating that the allocation of final decision‑making power arose from the parents’ inability to agree, not from any judgment of the mother’s faith, the court said.
Attorney Timothy Snowball of the Liberty Justice Center explained that the decision rests on the parents’ deadlocked religious upbringing, not on the substance of the mother’s beliefs, and noted the case could reach the U.S. Supreme Court.
Liberty Counsel attorney Mathew Staver, representing the mother, said the order violates the First Amendment by showing “open hostility” toward religious beliefs and by stripping the mother of influence over her child’s upbringing, The Maine Monitor reported.
Staver added that the court’s reasoning could conflict with decisions in other states, making the case a potential benchmark for the Supreme Court’s First Amendment jurisprudence.
Michelle King, the father’s counsel, called the ruling “well thought‑out and reasoned,” saying the father is pleased with the outcome and that the heightened media attention adds stress for parents.
The dispute intensified when Calvary Chapel Greater Portland’s pastor, Travis Carey, delivered a six‑and‑a‑half‑minute prayer naming the family members dozens of times, labeling the mother “in need of salvation” and framing the legal battle as “an attack on God’s Word,” according to court filings.
Bickford, the mother, maintained that attending the service was appropriate and refused to withdraw her daughter, while the court found she failed to mitigate the risk of alienating the child from her father.
Legal experts warn that the decision may set a precedent for how courts balance parental authority with religious liberty, a tension that could influence future litigation across the country.
