US Department of Justice and Ayahuasca Church Agree to Stipulated Dismissal in Long-Running Religious Freedom Lawsuit

The Arizona Yagé Assembly (AYA), a religious organization dedicated to the sacramental use of ayahuasca in visionary communion, announced a stipulated voluntary dismissal of the case Arizona Yagé Assembly et al. v. Bondi et al. a federal religious freedom lawsuit pending in the United States District Court for the District of Arizona. The US Department of Justice stipulated to terms for voluntary dismissal, followed by presiding US Federal Judge Diane Humetewa signing off on the motion for dismissal May 12th.

Filed nearly six years ago, the case sought to affirm AYA's constitutional and statutory rights to practice its faith free from undue government interference under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) and the First Amendment. Throughout the litigation, AYA sought to protect sensitive religious communications and associational information, including the identities of members, donors, ceremony participants, and supporters whose privacy is central to the free exercise of their faith.

AYA's decision to dismiss followed a discovery ruling issued by United States District Court Judge Diane J. Humetewa requiring AYA to produce unredacted and non-anonymized identifying information for more than 5,000 church members and participants, backed by the threat of sanctions for noncompliance. AYA maintains that the ruling imposed the very constitutional injury the church had spent years trying to prevent: compelled disclosure of private religious association to federal agencies, including the DEA and DHS, under threat of court-ordered punishment.

"There was no way our church was going to spend six years fighting for our congregation's constitutional rights only to toss them under the bus on the way to crossing the street. It made no sense," said Scott Stanley, AYA's Director. "Even under a protective order, if we had released those names to the DEA, the betrayal to our membership would have rung in my ears for years."

Notably, just one day after Judge Humetewa's ruling rejecting AYA's objections to compelled disclosure, the United States Supreme Court issued a unanimous decision in First Choice Women's Resource Centers, Inc. v. Davenport (April 29, 2026). The Supreme Court's unanimous decision confirmed what AYA had been arguing throughout this litigation. Forced disclosure of private religious membership and participant information causes immediate and ongoing constitutional injury, even with a protective order in place. When compelled by court order and backed by the threat of sanctions, the chilling effect is unmistakable.

Melissa Dean, one of AYA's litigation attorneys, stated, "AYA was willing to produce redacted and anonymized documents-just as other entheogenic churches have been permitted to do in federal RFRA litigation-however, it was not willing to expose its congregation to individualized government scrutiny under the theory that a protective order somehow makes that injury disappear. AYA chose dismissal because there is no justice in betraying the very people whose rights it asked the Court to protect."

Attorney Christian Holden, Counsel on AYA's legal team, added, "A church that turns to the legal system to affirm constitutional rights should not have to choose between honoring the privacy of sincere sacred relationships and court sanctions."

According to Robert Rush, lead counsel for AYA on the case, "After careful consideration, dismissal made sense because continued litigation no longer served the best interests of the congregation under the present circumstances. The decision allows the parties to avoid further expense, uncertainty, and distraction while bringing this chapter to a responsible close. That said, should any future government action burden this congregation's or any other entheogenic church's constitutional rights to worship and practice its faith, the litigation team is prepared to vigorously challenge that action in court."

Upon dismissal, AYA's legal team included attorneys Robert Rush, Melissa Dean, Michael Minardi, and Christian Holden, with support from law clerks Julia Batchker, Chikaodili Nweke, and Tatiana Llerena.

Arizona Yage Assembly
373 Santa Rita Ave / PO Box 91
Patagonia, AZ 85624

About Arizona Yage Assembly:
AYA remains committed to its mission of safe, legal religious practice and continues to advocate for the religious freedoms of its members and the broader visionary church community. Arizona Yage Assembly is a religious organization that facilitates ayahuasca ceremonies as part of its sincere spiritual practices. Founded to support congregants, including veterans, in meaningful visionary communion, AYA emphasizes safety, respect for indigenous traditions, and the preservation of constitutional rights to religious freedom. For more information, visit www.aya.guide or www.naavc.org.

This release was published on openPR.