Months After Voting to Remove Martin, Board Takes Action
(St. Louis, Missouri) Last week’s ruling by the Madison County (IL) Circuit Court has temporarily returned management of Eagle Forum to its Board of Directors, which removed Ed Martin from the position of President of Eagle Forum on April 11, 2016. The court’s full order is attached here. The Circuit Court’s ruling directs the Eagle Forum Board of Directors to assume management and control of Eagle Forum and its property, consistent with their fiduciary duties and obligations to Eagle Forum.
The court’s ruling makes Mrs. Eunie Smith, First Vice President of Eagle Forum, the Acting President of the organization while the litigation moves toward a final resolution. Together with Mrs. Anne Schlafly Cori, Acting Chairman of Eagle Forum, Mrs. Smith will work to reinvigorate Eagle Forum and its many volunteers and supporters.
“Our great organization must continue to champion the cause of conservative principles and grassroots activism, and to serve as a voice for the issues Phyllis Schlafly so effectively championed her entire life,” Smith said. “We are committed to supporting the many state Eagle Forum organizations that have carried our banner effectively for decades.”
Following Martin’s unexpected firing of Eagle Forum’s DC office Executive Director last April, the organization has been without a voice on Capitol Hill. “Eagle Forum must be prepared to stop any mischief a lame duck Congress might inflict on Americans. We are honored to announce that attorney Colleen Holcomb has agreed to volunteer her expertise as Interim DC Executive Director,” Smith said.
Holcomb, originally hired by Phyllis Schlafly, served in that capacity from 2008 through 2013. More recently, she coordinated Eagle Forum’s role in training Republican Platform Committee delegates to produce the most conservative platform ever in 2016. “Colleen will begin sending action alerts as needed to grassroots Eagles effective immediately,” Smith said.
In addition, the board will conduct a nationwide search to identify the next president of the organization. Smith said the board will meet soon to begin that process.
Smith also noted that Eagle Forum is a volunteer-based organization and that she will not be receiving a salary in her role as Acting President. “One of the things that makes Eagle Forum so unique is that we have always relied on the volunteer efforts of hundreds of women across America,” Smith said. “We can now redirect this organization back to its founding principles and work together without the division that has plagued the organization over this past year.”
There are a number of pending legal challenges still surrounding Eagle Forum and Martin’s controversial tenure as its President, including an appeal of the Circuit Court’s Order and various contempt motions related to attempts to enforce compliance with the Circuit Court’s Orders, which can be viewed here. A federal lawsuit alleging misappropriation of Eagle Forum resources by a Virginia corporation called Phyllis Schlafly’s American Eagles, is also still pending in US District Court for the Southern District of Illinois.
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