Maine's Supreme Judicial Court has upheld a lower court ruling granting a father, Matthew Bradeen, the final say over whether his 11-year-old daughter attends her mother's evangelical church. The case, decided on Tuesday, centres on a bitter parental dispute with Emily Bickford over the child's religious upbringing, and highlights the tension courts face when balancing parents' competing religious freedoms against a child's welfare in custody arrangements.

The dispute arose after Bradeen argued that frequent visits to Calvary Chapel Greater Portland, an evangelical church in Westbrook, were harming his daughter, claiming she suffered a panic attack after being taught about the Rapture and that the church had characterised him negatively. The Portland District Court agreed the messaging was "psychologically damaging" and gave Bradeen authority over the girl's attendance at that church, while both parents retain shared decision-making over her exposure to other religions, with Bradeen having the deciding vote in disagreements. Bickford's lawyer, Mathew Staver of Liberty Counsel, says he plans to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court within 90 days, arguing the ruling violates her First Amendment rights, while Bradeen's lawyer welcomed the decision as "well thought-out and reasoned".