Author: MIL-OSI Publisher

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

The Justice Department announced that the U.S. District Court of Guam ruled in favor of the United States in its lawsuit against the Government of Guam and the Guam Retirement Fund (Guam) to protect servicemembers’ civilian employment pension benefits while they serve in the military.

When Guam civilian employees such as teachers and firefighters are called for active military service, the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 (USERRA) entitles them to receive certain civilian employment benefits, including pension benefits, during their time of military service. In its complaint, the United States alleges that Guam unlawfully considered military leave a break in service and refused to award servicemembers retirement service credit while they were on military leave. Guam also refused to contribute employer contributions, and to accept employee contributions, while servicemembers were on military leave.

“USERRA provides civilian employees with valuable employment benefits while they serve in the military,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Employers cannot deny our military servicemembers these benefits while they sacrifice their time and careers and serve their country.”

On Sept. 4, the district court ruled in favor of the United States on its motion for summary judgment, holding that treating the leave as a break in service violates the servicemembers’ rights under USERRA. The court also held that the servicemembers were entitled to receive employer contributions, and to make employee contributions, in the same amounts and manner as employees not on military leave.

USERRA protects the rights of uniformed servicemembers to reemployment in their civilian employment following absences due to military service obligations, provides that servicemembers shall not be discriminated against because of their military obligations, and ensures that servicemembers receive certain civilian employment benefits, including pension benefits, during their time of military service. The Justice Department prioritizes the enforcement of servicemembers’ rights under USERRA. Additional information about USERRA can be found on the Justice Department’s website www.justice.gov/servicemembers as well as on the Department of Labor’s website at www.dol.gov/vets/programs/userra.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi sent a memo to FBI Director Kash Patel and all 93 U.S. Attorneys entitled Upholding Constitutional Rights and Parental  Authority in America’s Education System.  

As Attorney General Bondi notes in the memo, “recent years have seen a disturbing trend in which government officials and public education authorities have ignored, dismissed, or even retaliated against concerned parents” for daring to voice opposition to their children’s curriculum. Notably, the prior administration engaged in such weaponization by targeting concerned parents at school board meetings with a threat tag reserved for potential terrorists.

Under the leadership of President Trump and Attorney General Bondi, parents’ First Amendment rights – and their “fundamental right to direct the moral and religious education of their children” – will be protected from unlawful attacks.

Per today’s memo, Attorney General Bondi has instructed U.S. Attorneys to “work with federal, state, and local partners to identify and respond to credible threats against parents or violations of their lawful rights.”

Please read the full memo HERE

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Today, the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Florida filed a civil denaturalization complaint in the U.S. District Court in Orlando, Florida, against a native of Argentina who illegally procured his U.S. citizenship by gaining permanent resident status through the Cuban Refugee Adjustment Act based on a false claim that he was born in Cuba.

“The Justice Department is committed to preserving the integrity of United States citizenship and will aggressively pursue the denaturalization of fraudsters who lie to gain immigration benefits,” said Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “Civil denaturalization is an important tool in ensuring that only qualified individuals with good moral character earn U.S. citizenship. The civil complaint charges that Moio Bartolini exploited our immigration system and unlawfully secured the ultimate immigration benefit of naturalization. The filing of this case sends a clear message: if you do not tell the truth to immigration officials and break our immigration laws, we will prosecute you and denaturalize you.”

In 2013, Fernando Adrian Moio Bartolini, 50, a native of Argentina and resident of Windermere, Florida, was convicted in the Southern District of Florida of committing passport fraud. During criminal proceedings, he admitted that after he entered the United States on a visitor’s visa, purchased a fraudulent Cuban birth certificate, obtained a fraudulent Cuban passport, and applied for permanent resident status in the United States under the Cuban Adjustment Act, claiming that he was a native and citizen of Cuba.

After Bartolini illegally procured naturalization, he fraudulently obtained a U.S. passport, falsely stating on his passport application that he was born in Cuba. His fraud was uncovered when Moio Bartolini attempted to enter the United States at the Miami International Airport aboard a flight from Medellín, Colombia, and a U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer recognized his Argentinian accent. Moio Bartolini was arrested and charged with false statement in the application for and use of a passport. When he pleaded guilty, he admitted that he was born in Argentina and that he used the fraudulent Cuban documents to adjust status to permanent resident and, ultimately, to naturalize as a U.S. citizen.

The civil denaturalization complaint charges Moio Bartolini with illegal procurement of naturalization because he did not lawfully adjust to permanent resident status and because he provided false testimony in his naturalization interview. The complaint also charges that Moio Bartolini procured U.S. citizenship through concealment of a material fact or willful misrepresentation. The Immigration and Nationality Act requires the U.S. District Court to revoke Moio Bartolini’s naturalization if it finds him liable on any of the charges.

The case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement of the Department of Homeland Security and will be litigated by the Affirmative Litigation Unit of the Civil Division’s Office of Immigration Litigation, General Litigation and Appeals Section.

The claims in the complaint are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

WASHINGTON – Yesterday, the Religious Liberty Commission hosted President Trump, Attorney General Bondi, parents, and students to discuss religious liberty issues in public education. The hearing included several panels of students who shared stories of challenges to their religious liberty, and parents whose right to direct the religious upbringing of their children was challenged or abridged in the school system. The hearing’s objective was to understand the historic landscape of religious liberty in the public education setting, identify present threats to religious liberty in America’s public school systems, and identify opportunities to secure religious liberty in this context for the future.

“Under the Trump Administration, we’re defending our rights and restoring our identity as a nation under God,” said President Donald J. Trump. “We are one nation under God, and we always will be.”

“Our Founders believed every individual has the right to worship freely—without fear, without censorship, and without hostility from their own government,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi.” Under President Trump’s leadership, this Department of Justice has returned to its core purpose: defending the Constitution and protecting the God-given rights of every single American.”

“Today was a special moment in history as President Trump spoke at the Presidential Commission on Religious Liberty,” said RLC Chair Dan Patrick, Lt. Governor of Texas. “No President since our nation’s foundation has put faith and freedom at the forefront of his entire agenda. President Trump’s emphasis on religious liberty will restore our nation, once again, to send a clear message to the world that we are a nation that was founded on the word of God. Thank you, Mr. President.” 

President Donald J. Trump delivers remarks at the Religious Liberty Commission hearing.

Chairman Dan Patrick, Lt. Governor of Texas, Attorney General Bondi, President Donald J. Trump, and HUD Secretary Scott Turner at the Religious Liberty Commission hearing

The witnesses included:

Shea Encinas: Former Student at La Costa Heights Elementary School in Carlsbad, California

Shea was targeted and harassed by school administration and classmates after objecting to read a book glorifying transgenderism to a kindergarten student.

Lydia Booth: Simpson County School District student

Lydia was prohibited from wearing a “Jesus loves me” face mask during the COVID-19 pandemic, despite nothing in the dress code banning religious clothing. Lydia’s family successfully sued allowing Lydia to once again wear her mask.

Justin Aguilar: High SchoolValedictorian from North Carolina

A school administrator struck through a number of instances of the word “God” and “Jesus Christ” in Justin’s valedictorian speech, despite the language being protected by the United States Constitution. Justin respectfully and successfully appealed to deliver the speech unchanged.

Valerie Cleveringa: Former student at West Ward Elementary School in Allegan, Michigan

Valerie was prohibited from singing a religious song, “That’s Who I Praise,” by popular Christian artist Brandon Lake, in the school talent show. After public outcry, the school reversed course and allowed Valerie to perform the song.

Hannah Allen: Honey Grove School District student

Hannah and a group of classmates decided to pray during lunch for a former classmate recently in a car accident. Their principal told the group “Y’all don’t do that again,” and said they could only pray on the stage behind the curtain, outside of the school building, in the gym with no one present. After being informed of the students’ constitutional rights, the school corrected the policy to allow students to pray publicly.

Jeremy Dys: Senior Counsel for First Liberty

Dys earned his law degree from West Virginia University College of Law in 2005. After law school, Dys clerked for the Hon. Russell M. Clawges, Jr., chief judge of the Circuit Court of Monongalia County in Morgantown, West Virginia. For six years prior to joining First Liberty Institute, Dys led a public policy organization where he led research and advocacy efforts on matters of life, marriage, and religious freedom.

Lana Roman: Maryland Parent fighting the Montgomery County Board of Education 

Lana and other parents in Maryland are fighting back against the Montgomery County Board of Education for forcing pre-K and elementary-aged children to read controversial books promoting transgender and sexually-focused content. On June 27, 2025, the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that parents have the right to opt their children out of books that push one-sided views on gender identity and sexuality that violate religious beliefs.

Jennifer Mead: Mother of child who was secretly transitioned

Dan and Jennifer Mead sued the Rockford Public School District in Michigan after district employees began treating the couple’s middle-school daughter as a boy without their knowledge or consent.

Jenny Encinas: Mother of Shea Encinas

Shea’s family is suing to bring accountability and seek a court order stating that the school district must notify parents in advance and allow opt-outs from teachings that violate religious and moral beliefs.

Sameerah Munshi: RLC Advisory Board Member

Sameerah has courageously spoken out against forcing children to learn radical gender ideology in schools. She testified before the Montgomery County School Board and has worked with the Coalition of Virtue and the Religious Freedom Institute.

Alyza Lewin: RLC Advisory Board Member

Alyza Lewin is the President of The Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law. Lewin is also a co-founder and partner in Lewin & Lewin, LLP where she specializes in litigation, mediation and government relations. Her experience includes criminal defense, civil litigation and anti-discrimination matters. Lewin served as President of the American Association of Jewish Lawyers and Jurists from 2012 – 2017.

David Cortman: Senior Counsel and Vice President of U.S. litigation for Alliance Defending Freedom

David A. Cortman serves as senior counsel and vice president of U.S. litigation with Alliance Defending Freedom. He has been practicing law for nearly 30 years and currently supervises attorneys and legal staff who specialize in constitutional law, focusing on religious freedom, free speech, and the sanctity of life.

Maggie DeJong: Former Graduate student at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE)

Maggie was silenced with no-contact orders from SIUE after students complained that her speech, including social media posts, messages to students, and class discussions on an array of topics was considered “harmful.” Maggie sued, and SIUE officials revised policies and the student handbook to ensure students with varying ideological and religious views are welcome on campus.

Norvilia Etienne Cain: Pro-life advocate

As a student, Norvilia requested to create a Students for Life Group at Queens College in New York. The school denied the request without explanation. The students sued, and Queens College officially recognized the group, but it took almost one year to update its policy to protect other students from the same type of discrimination.

Chike Uzuegbunam: Former student at Georgia Gwinett College

While peacefully sharing his Christian views with students on campus, college officials stopped Chike on two occasions, stating he needed permission in advance to use certain “speech zones” that were small and not open regularly. Chike followed the school’s policy, and was still stopped from speaking. Chike challenged the school’s policy all the way up to the Supreme Court, which ultimately ruled in his favor.

Kimberlee Colby: Attorney, Christian Legal Society’s Center for Law and Religious Freedom

Kim Colby has worked for Christian Legal Society’s Center for Law and Religious Freedom since graduating from Harvard Law School in 1981. She has represented religious groups in several appellate cases, including two cases heard by the United States Supreme Court. She has filed numerous amicus briefs in federal and state courts. In 1984, she assisted in congressional passage of the Equal Access Act, 20 U.S.C. § 4071, et seq., which protects the right of secondary school students to meet for prayer and Bible study on campus. Ms. Colby has prepared several CLS publications addressing issues about religious expression in public schools, including released time programs, implementation of the Equal Access Act, and teachers’ religious expression.

Watch the hearing HERE

Attorney General Bondi delivers remarks at the Religious Liberty Commission hearing

Chairman Dan Patrick and Vice Chair Dr. Ben Carson at Religious Liberty Commission hearing.

The Religious Liberty Commission was established by President Trump under Executive Order 14291 and is tasked with producing a comprehensive report on the foundations of religious liberty in America, increasing awareness of and celebrating America’s peaceful religious pluralism, highlighting current threats to religious liberty, and developing strategies to preserve and enhance protections for future generations.