Maine Supreme Court Upholds Custody Order Restricting Mother’s Religious Practices with Daughter

The Maine Supreme Court has ruled that a mother, Emily Bickford, cannot take her 13-year-old daughter to church or expose her to religious beliefs without the approval of the girl’s father. The court upheld a custody order that grants the father, Bradeen, decision-making authority over his daughter’s religious exposure. This decision has been in place for nearly two years, restricting Bickford’s ability to attend religious services or engage her daughter in religious activities.

The case, Bickford v. Bradeen, has been a legal battle between judicial authority and parental rights, with the First Amendment at the center of the dispute. The court heard oral arguments last fall, and the ruling has drawn attention from religious advocacy groups. Liberty Counsel, a faith-based non-profit legal group, has been representing Bickford and is seeking intervention from the U.S. Supreme Court.

Liberty Counsel’s founder, Mat Staver, criticized the ruling, stating it rejects the First Amendment rights of a fit parent to raise her child in accordance with her Christian faith. He argued the decision ignores precedent from the U.S. Supreme Court and contradicts other state court rulings involving custody and religious free exercise rights.

The case involves Ava, Bickford’s daughter, who has been attending Calvary Chapel in Portland, Maine, for three years. During one service, the pastor prayed for Bradeen’s salvation, which reportedly upset him. After Ava decided to be baptized, Bradeen became concerned, claiming the church environment had caused his daughter to suffer from anxiety and even experience a panic attack after hearing teachings on the rapture.

Bradeen argued that the church was a “dangerous and harmful environment” for his daughter, leading to emotional distress. As a result, the courts placed him in charge of all decisions regarding Ava’s religious exposure. Liberty Counsel contends that this order grants the father “absolute unreviewable authority” to deny any religious association or engagement, including reading the Bible or attending any church-related event.

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