First Liberty Institute history began in 1997, founded as a non-profit law firm focusing on Texas litigation, with Kelly Shackelford as President and CEO. (It was originally founded as a division of the Free Market Foundation and called Liberty Legal Institute). In 2009, Liberty Legal officially became Liberty Institute, quickly gaining renown as the premiere legal organization defending religious liberty in the State of Texas and beyond. In 2014, we founded our Military Division, focused on protecting the religious liberty of service members and veterans, with Senior Counsel Mike Berry as the Director of Military Affairs. In February 2016, Liberty Institute officially became First Liberty Institute. Today, First Liberty is the largest legal organization in the nation dedicated exclusively to protecting religious liberty for all Americans.
| Recipient | Total | Donors |
|---|---|---|
| Ted Cruz | $2,500 | Matthew J Kacsmaryk, Hiram Sasser |
| Mike Huckabee | $1,000 | Kelly Shackelford |
| Jobs, Growth and Freedom Fund | $500 | Matthew J Kacsmaryk |
| Ted Cruz Victory Cmte | $500 | Matthew J Kacsmaryk |
| John Cornyn | $250 | Matthew J Kacsmaryk |
| Mike Johnson For Louisiana | $100 | Mike Johnson |
| Types | Organization, Other Not-for-Profit, Law Firm |
| Start date | 1997 |
| Website | https://firstliberty.org/about-us/our-history/ |
| Aliases | Liberty Institute, Liberty Legal Institute |