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San Antonio City Council to Revisit Chick-fil-A Ban, 'First Liberty' Investigates 'Religious Discrimination'

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First Liberty Institute's Keisha Russell appeared on CBN's Newswatch program Wednesday to discuss the organization's investigation into the San Antonio City Council's decision to ban Chick-fil-A from the local airport. 

CBN News has learned the San Antonio City Council may revisit its vote to ban Chick-fil-A from the San Antonio International Airport. 

As CBN News reported, the city council voted last month to remove the popular restaurant from its concession contract at the airport.  A Chick-fil-A concession stand was one of 10 proposed concepts made to the council by a company seeking to open a restaurant section located in Terminal A of the San Antonio airport, according to the San Antonio Current.

"With this decision, the City Council reaffirmed the work our city has done to become a champion of equality and inclusion," Councilman Roberto C. Treviño had said in a statement to the paper. "We don't have room in our public facilities for a business with a legacy of anti-LGBTQ behavior." 

But City Councilman and mayoral candidate Greg Blockhouse told CBN News on Wednesday that the council will reconsider the move at Thursday night's council meeting. 

In the meantime, First Liberty Institute, a Dallas-based religious liberty law firm is investigating the city council's decision. 

"The City's decision to ban Chick-fil-A was blatant, illegal religious discrimination," Hiram Sasser, general counsel to First Liberty Institute, said in a press release. "We want to know just how deep the religious animosity runs within San Antonio's city government.  A tolerant and inclusive city should have nothing to hide."

Attorneys with First Liberty are requesting all public records, including staff reports, comments and assessments concerning the proposed agreement with the City of San Antonio and the company which had included Chick-fil-A in its proposal for the remodeling of the airport.  

The request also seeks communications, notes, or other documents, including but not limited to emails, text messages, notes, statements, letters, reports, and comments, produced by members of the San Antonio City Council, or any employee or staff member of the City Council relating to the contract or to Chick-fil-A. 

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About The Author

Steve Warren is a senior multimedia producer for CBN News. Warren has worked in the news departments of television stations and cable networks across the country. In addition, he also worked as a producer-director in television production and on-air promotion. A Civil War historian, he authored the book The Second Battle of Cabin Creek: Brilliant Victory. It was the companion book to the television documentary titled Last Raid at Cabin Creek currently streaming on Amazon Prime. He holds an M.A. in Journalism from the University of Oklahoma and a B.A. in Communication from the University of