Martin Cannon may be a local attorney, but his case work has been felt nationwide.
Cannon, who lives in rural Pottawattamie County, serves as one of the few senior counsels at the Thomas More Society, a nonprofit public interest law firm.
“We do cases across the country in defense of religious liberty, freedom of speech, pro-life, protecting basic American principals,” he said. “We do everything free of charge and we spend everything that comes into the organization.”
Cannon described the society as conservative: “It’s not Catholic by definition."
It has headquarters in Omaha and Chicago with offices in New York and California.
Cannon, whose father, Martin, Sr., was a successful attorney in the metro area, is a Creighton University graduate and has been a member of the Thomas More Society for many years now.
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He has been quite busy.
“I’ve tried four or five FACE cases,” he said, referring to the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act.
Cannon secured the release of a Catholic priest after defending him against federal charges for blocking an abortion clinic.
He has also been involved in a high-profile case not only defending a woman arrested on FACE charges, but also seeking a Congressional investigation into the fate of five unborn babies whose bodies Handy recovered from a Washington abortion clinic in 2022.
Cannon has also represented the State of Iowa in a challenge against the state’s so-called "fetal heartbeat" law, which was back in the news last week as the Iowa Supreme Court considers upholding the six-week abortion ban.
Cannon and his wife, Chris, and some others founded Free Speech America, which puts on events focusing on the importance of freedom of speech.
Among the events is a fireworks show every year now at Westfair.
“We’re getting ready for our fourth year,” he said.