ACLA's President and Chief Counsel Christopher A. Ferrara, with Tom Dixon and Tom Brejcha of Thomas More Society, pictured in court following the successful dismissal of all charges against the "ND88"

For Immediate Release

May 5, 2011 South Bend - ACLA President Christopher Ferrara announced that all pending criminal charges against the "Notre Dame 88" represented by the ACLA were dismissed with prejudice by the St. Joseph County, Indiana Prosecutor.

The dismissals were requested by the University of Notre Dame as part of the joint efforts of the University and the ND 88 to reconcile and pledge to move forward together for the sake of the faith and the pro-life cause.

"I wish to thank Christopher Ferrara and the ACLA for their invaluable assistance in the criminal matters, which are now definitively resolved," said Tom Dixon, who was lead counsel in the criminal cases, and who, along with attorneys from the ACLA and the Thomas More Society in Chicago, negotiated this outcome on behalf of the ND 88.

"ACLA's attorneys were honored to assist Tom Dixon and TMS attorneys Tom Brejcha and Peter Breen in bringing these important cases to a successful conclusion, and I look forward to working with them in other pro-life matters in the future," said Ferrara.

The American Catholic Lawyers Association, Inc., ACLA, is a non-profit religious organization dedicated to the free legal defense of the Faith and the rights of Catholics in America.

Conceived and formed in 1990 as a Catholic answer to the American Civil Liberties Union and other left-liberal activist groups, the ACLA engages in a wide range of activities aimed at countering the forces of secularism in our society.

The ACLA's activities include: 
 

	Pro Bono Federal and State Court Litigation on behalf of Catholic plaintiffs and defendants whose civil rights are being violated on account of their Catholic Faith in the spheres of pro-life activity, employment and the right to worship God in both private and public manifestations of the Faith.
	Defense Of the Faith in public discourse and debate.
	Catholic  Apologetics: explaining the truths of the Catholic Faith and refuting attacks against it in formal debate and apologetical literature.

Attorneys interested in joining the ACLA's network can obtain membership information from the contact section.

The ACLA is a 501 (c)(3) organization exempt from federal income tax. Donations to the ACLA are tax deductible.