Live from Music Row Thursday morning on The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. – host Leahy welcomed Pacific Justice Institute founder Brad Dacus in the studio to discuss the organization’s mission and the explosive growth of cases around the country.
Leahy: A wonderful guest in the studio now for the very first time, Brad Dacus, the founder of the Pacific Justice Institute. Brad, welcome.
Dacus: Oh, it’s great to be on the show. Thank you.
Leahy: We’re delighted to have you here. The Pacific Justice Institute, you founded that organization, what, 25 years ago?
Dacus: That’s right. In 1997, I founded the organization, and it’s now taken off. We now have offices in 20 states, 27 offices in 20 states, coast to coast. So maybe we should change it from Pacific Justice to National Justice or something. But at any rate, we work hard to make sure that everyone gets help, and we do it all without charge.
Leahy: And some of the cases that you defend are pretty high-profile cases, aren’t they?
Dacus: Oh, yes, definitely. We took a case to the United States Supreme Court not that long ago, actually, on behalf of churches that were shut down in California by intolerant Governor Gavin Newsom. So we went to bat in federal court.
Leahy: You won that, didn’t you?
Dacus: We went to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court ruled 6 to 3, telling Governor Gavin Newsom, open those churches now!
Leahy: I can guess the three. (Laughter) Let’s talk about that particular case. Did you hire specific counsel to make the argument before the Supreme Court, or were you present at making the argument yourself?
Dacus: I had our chief counsel, Kevin Snider, argued the case. At Pacific Justice, we’re all about building up attorneys, training attorneys, and developing attorneys. So when I’m gone, my goal is that I’m not going to be missed. That’s my objective.
Leahy: Have you argued before the Supreme Court previously?
Dacus: No, I personally have not. I’ve had opportunities to, but I’ve always used that opportunity to develop attorneys.
Leahy: And were you in the chamber at the time?
Dacus: Not at that time. Not at that time. But our focus is making sure that everyone gets help. We do have these high-profile cases, but our goal is to make sure of it, that no one is left on the side of the road anywhere in the United States when it comes to religious freedom, parents’ rights, and the sanctity of life. And we do it all without charging them.
Simon: Are your central offices in California?
Dacus: Our main office is in Sacramento, California. But we also have an office, literally all over the country, we have offices from Miami up to Boston to Chicago to Houston.
Leahy: When are you moving to Nashville? C’mon, man. Nashville is the center of the universe when it comes to conservative media.
Simon: It’s got a lot of bad law, too. (Chuckles)
Dacus: And actually, we get a lot of requests for help from Nashville. Specifically, it’s a blue blotch in a wonderful red state.
Leahy: I love that phrase. Nashville is a blue blotch in a red state.
Simon: And pretty accurate, too.
Leahy: Accurate.
Simon: A blue blotch with good music.
Dacus: Great music, great culture, and, you know, great food. But actually, we at Pacific Justice are targeting Nashville. We’d love to open an office here. We’d love to have the right attorney. I interviewed someone for the job potentially last time around, didn’t work out.
So we’re looking for an attorney who has a commitment to what we stand for, and is willing probably to take a reduction in pay, because that’s how we operate.
Leahy: That’s how you survive.
Dacus: Yes. But people love working for us. It’s a team, and we do all the work without charge, and we really make a difference. And we have so many cases. Our cases are exploding right now.
Leahy: I can imagine.
Dacus: We have right now about 115 cases in active litigation. I think by this time next year, it’s going to be over 150, maybe 200. And we’re just going to bat for so many. One thing we’re doing right now on a major scale is defending people of faith who have been purged from the workplace, public and private, because of their convictions regarding vaccine mandates.
Right now, in fact, some of the more dramatic cases are dealing with people on medical death row, literally, who are told by a hospital – and most hospitals don’t do this, but there are some hospitals are telling people that are looking for organ transplants who need organ transplants to live [they’re told], oh, you’re not vaccinated. No, we’re not going to let you have your organ or your kidneys, just die.
That’s what we’re doing. There’s a war veteran, a Navy war veteran we’re representing. He lost 150 pounds. His kidneys are 96 percent gone, and he’s now, at the last minute, they said, oh, you’re not vaccinated. We don’t care about your faith, your convictions, or anything else. You have to do it our way or you die.
That is what over 100 have been told so far in the United States. Seven percent of the hospitals are operating like this. We at PJI are going to bat for them. Our office out of Detroit is heading this up where we also have a doctor who is also a lawyer.
Simon: Government interference in medicine has been an absolute catastrophe for the country.
Dacus: Yes, it really is. And in fact, studies show that people who are vaxxed are actually more likely to reject the organ than those who are not.
Leahy: Don’t get facts in this discussion. What’s wrong with you, Brad? My goodness.
Dacus: I call it the pro-vax cult, because it’s like they’re shutting off their brains. They’re not looking at science, not looking at the stats, and they’re trouncing on our liberties and our freedoms. So this is just one area that we’re engaged.
Also, what we noticed since Roe vs. Wade was overturned is that blue-state attorney generals and governors are now going out on a witch hunt to shut down pro-life clinics, helping women and their prenatal care.
Leahy: And they’re getting help from the Department of Justice and the FBI that are sending in goon squads into the private residences of pro-life people.
Dacus: It is a witch hunt. And we have two major clinics in California that we’re defending as we speak. It’s a witch hunt. There’s nothing they’ve done wrong, just a massive investigation to try to find some way to shut them all down somehow, in vengeance, I guess, on behalf of Planned Parenthood, which is a hideous organization in the eyes of people with a conscience.
Listen to today’s show highlights, including this interview:
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Tune in weekdays from 5:00 – 8:00 a.m. to The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy on Talk Radio 98.3 FM WLAC 1510. Listen online at iHeart Radio.
Photo “Brad Discus” by Pacific Justice Institute.
