Why is the ERLC asking for a confidentiality order in McRaney v. NAMB? What did Russell Moore know and when did he know it?
What does the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) have to hide? If the ERLC had nothing to hide, then why then did it request a confidentiality order in Will McRaney’s lawsuit against the North American Mission Board?
On Monday, lawyers for the ERLC filed a motion requesting a confidentiality order. According to the court filing, “ERLC has agreed to produce certain documents in response to the subpoena but wishes for its production to be subject to confidentiality provisions.”
The ERLC made the request because “There is currently no protective order governing discovery entered in this matter,” the magistrate judge noted in his motion granting the stipulated order for confidentiality. McRaney’s legal team agreed to a stipulated order enforcing confidentiality on the documents. That means the documents can only become public if used in the case.
Which leaves us all pondering: What is hiding in those ERLC documents?
Are there clues about how and why the ERLC lied to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals? In case you forgot about that, you can refresh yourself on that saga by starting here: Russell Moore’s ERLC lies in amicus brief against Will McRaney.
And if you want to follow more of the wrangling on how Russell Moore lied to Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, then you should read how the new editor of Christianity Today Russell Moore blamed the lies on Catholic lawyers in an anti-Catholic rant.
how the ERLC filed its false legal brief to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals?
Was there any coordination between then ERLC President Russell Moore and his good friend Kevin Ezell?
What did Russell Moore know and when did he know it?
There are limits on the confidentiality order. According to the judge’s ruling, “This Stipulated Order does not itself provide confidential treatment to motions, briefs, or other filed documents, or require any party to file anything under seal. If a party files a motion or other submission specifically disclosing the substance of ERLC’s Confidential materials produced pursuant to the third-party subpoena, ERLC may seek an order from the Court to seal any such documents, after conferring with the parties and setting forth the position of the parties in any ERLC motion to seal.”
Plus, if any of those documents are used in court, then the public will get to see them too.
Why does that scare the ERLC and Russell Moore so much?