2020: The Year The War On Christmas Ended Up In Court

Matthew Hayward
October 6, 2020

Nothing should surprise anyone this crazy year, but who would have thought Santa Claus would be in court to defend the First Amendment?

The jolly old elf himself — or at least his surrogate — appeared before the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday Oct. 9th.

The Washington State Department of Ecology (DOE) is being sued by the Pacific Legal Foundation on behalf of Santa’s employer, the Freedom Foundation.

The Freedom Foundation hires a Santa stand-in every year to spread Christmas joy to public employees. And what could bring more joy than learning you have the right to give yourself a raise by merely filling out an opt-out form and mailing it to their union?

Unfortunately, the Grinches at DOE don’t want their employees informed of their rights and were willing to go so far as to have Santa arrested.

- Labor, Litigation, Washington

Matthew Hayward

National Outreach Director

Before joining the Freedom Foundation, Matthew worked as supervisor at the Washington State Department of Agriculture, where he coordinated efforts between federal and state agencies, tribes, and volunteer organizations in the Puget Sound. Grassroots politics has provided Matthew with many unique and sometimes controversial experiences. These experiences range from successfully building coalitions between different factions to training and organizing volunteers to maximize their effectiveness. Matthew’s passion for freedom to educate citizens about their Constitutional rights is strong and unwavering. “I not only measure success by results, bu t by the integrity of the action taken to achieve the result.” —Matthew H.