ADF Challenges the SPLC’s Influence

Ryan Bangert, Senior Vice President of Strategic Initiatives and Special Counsel to the President at Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), testified before the House Judiciary Committee during the hearing “The Southern Poverty Law Center: Manufacturing Hate, Part II.”

Bangert warned that the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) has moved far beyond its original mission of fighting racism and now uses its controversial “hate” labels to target mainstream Christian and conservative organizations. He explained how these designations have influenced major corporations, technology platforms, financial institutions, and charitable giving systems — resulting in censorship, deplatforming, and discrimination against organizations that hold traditional beliefs about faith, family, parental rights, and the sanctity of life.

His testimony highlighted the need for accountability, transparency, and the protection of First Amendment freedoms so that Americans are not punished or excluded from public life simply because of their sincerely held beliefs.