The Supreme Court of the state of Texas has ruled in favor of a group of high school cheerleaders who claimed their right to free speech was violated when their school prohibited displays of banners with Bible verses at football games.
FoxNews.com is reporting on the case which involved a group of cheerleaders from a middle school in Kountze, Texas who liked to paint Bible verses on the run-through banners at football games to encourage the team. However, the superintendent of the Kountze Independent School District prohibited the banners after receiving a complaint from the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF).
The cheerleaders refused to relinquish their first amendment right to free speech and, supported by their parents and the local community, decided to fight back.
Represented by attorneys at the Liberty Institute, a law firm committed to fighting for religious freedom, the case has been winding its way through the courts since 2012 until it finally reached the TX Supreme Court.
On January 29, the Supreme Court justices handed down 8-0 ruling in favor of the cheerleaders.
This decision was made even though the Kountze school district has since reversed the prohibition and is now allowing bible verses on banners. But the Supreme Court wanted to be sure the district would not put the prohibition back in place at some point in the future.
As Justice John P. Devine noted in the opinion, even though the school district no longer prohibited the cheerleaders from displaying religious signs or messages at school events, “that change hardly makes ‘absolutely clear’ that the District will not reverse itself after this litigation is concluded, without the cheerleaders’ requested declaratory and injunctive relief.”
The Court noted that “Throughout this litigation, the District has continually defended not only the constitutionality of that prohibition, but also its unfettered authority to restrict the content of the cheerleaders’ banners—including the apparent authority to do so based solely on their religious content. In fact, while the District has indicated it does not have any current ‘intent’ or ‘plan’ to reinstate that prohibition, the District has never expressed the position that it could not, and unconditionally would not, reinstate it.”
Texas Values President and attorney, Jonathan Saenz, told Breitbart on Friday, “Today we celebrate the victory of free speech and the First Amendment rights of Texans. These brave cheerleaders refused to back down on their beliefs, even when faced with the typical losing intimidation tactics of the Freedom From Religion Foundation. The fearless resolve of these Texas cheerleaders will impact generations to come. We are grateful that the Texas Supreme Court upheld our Constitutional rights and we congratulate our friends at Liberty Institute for their tireless work on this important case. Now, we anticipate the Ninth Court of Appeals will rule in favor of the cheerleaders and permanently ensure their Constitutional liberty.”
The ruling now goes to the appeals court that ruled in 2014 that the cheerleaders’ lawsuit was moot because the district changed its policy.
At the end of its summary about the case, the Liberty Institute is offering a place for citizens to show their support for the cheerleaders. Click here to let them know you’re on their side!
