AC L U ). ▁Some ▁of ▁the ▁Institute ' s ▁legal ▁actions ▁were ▁widely ▁reported , ▁including ▁helping ▁Pa ula ▁Jones ▁purs ue ▁a ▁sexual ▁har ass ment ▁law suit ▁in ▁ 1 9 9 7 ▁against ▁President ▁Bill ▁Cl inton , ▁and ▁its ▁defense ▁of ▁middle ▁and ▁high ▁school ▁students ▁susp ended ▁and ▁exp elled ▁under ▁inf lex ible ▁zero ▁toler ance ▁policies , ▁and ▁the ▁free ▁speech ▁rights ▁of ▁pre ach ers ▁and ▁political ▁protest ors . ▁The ▁R uther ford ▁Institute ▁has ▁worked ▁with ▁a ▁number ▁of ▁similar ▁groups ▁across ▁the ▁political ▁spectrum , ▁including ▁the ▁A CL U ▁and ▁the ▁C ato ▁Institute . ▁White head ▁was ▁described ▁by ▁jazz ▁historian ▁and ▁civil ▁libert arian ▁Nat ▁H ent off ▁as ▁" this ▁nation ' s ▁Paul ▁Re vere ▁of ▁protect ing ▁civil ▁libert ies ." ▁ ▁Foundation ▁ ▁The ▁R uther ford ▁Institute ▁was ▁named ▁after ▁Samuel ▁R uther ford , ▁a ▁ 1 7 th - century ▁the olog ian ▁who ▁wrote ▁a ▁book , ▁Lex , ▁R ex , ▁which ▁challeng ed ▁the ▁concept ▁of ▁the ▁divine ▁right ▁of ▁k ings . ▁ ▁When ▁the ▁R uther ford ▁Institute ▁was ▁founded , ▁conserv ative ▁Protest ants ▁in ▁the ▁United ▁States ▁were ▁re cons ider ing ▁their ▁role ▁in ▁American ▁political ▁and ▁legal ▁life , ▁perce iving ▁that ▁the ▁federal ▁government ▁was ▁intent ▁on ▁enc ro aching ▁on ▁Americans ' ▁religious ▁libert ies . ▁Organ izations ▁such ▁as ▁the ▁R uther ford ▁Institute ▁purs ued ▁matters ▁of ▁religious