5 things to know about Pam Bondi, Trump's new AG pick

By Ryan Foley, Christian Post Reporter Saturday, November 23, 2024

Religious freedom supporters hold a rally to praise the Supreme Court's decision in the Hobby Lobby, contraception coverage requirement case on June 30, 2014, in Chicago, Illinois. Oklahoma-based Hobby Lobby, which operates a chain of arts-and-craft stores, challenged the provision and the high court ruled 5-4 that requiring family-owned corporations to pay for insurance coverage for contraception and abortion-inducing drugs under the Affordable Care Act violated a federal law protecting religious freedom. | Scott Olson/Getty Images

Worked to get a religious freedom amendment on Florida ballot

In 2011, Bondi emerged as a forceful defender of Florida's Amendment 7. If approved by voters, Amendment 7 would have removed language from the state's constitution stating, "No revenue of the state … shall ever be taken from the public treasury … in aid of any church, sect, or religious denomination or in aid of any sectarian institution."

After a judge ruled that the ballot summary for Amendment 7 was misleading, Bondi created new language for the measure in accordance with state law allowing the Florida attorney general to rewrite ballot summaries that are deemed "legally defective."

Reacting to the judge's decision, Bondi maintained, "It is important that voters have an opportunity to remove from our constitution a provision that discriminates against religious organizations."

Bondi crafted new language for Amendment 7, which declared "no individual or entity may be denied on the basis of religious identity or belief, governmental benefits, funding, or other except as required by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution."

The ballot measure was renamed Amendment 8 and appeared on the 2012 general election ballot. It was defeated, with 55.5% of Florida voters rejecting the proposal and 44.5% of voters supporting it.