The Texas Supreme Court has ruled in favor of high school cheerleaders who displayed banners with Bible verses during football games.
Fox News reports that the Kountze school district prohibited the
cheerleaders from displaying the banners on which they had printed Bible
verses such as “I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me”
(Philippians 4:13), claiming that the cheerleaders’ banners were part
of “government speech,” and could thus be censored.
The court ruled against the school district and in favor of the free speech rights of the students.
Hiram Sasser, deputy chief counsel for the Texas-based Liberty
Institute which represented the cheerleaders, said the question now is
whether the school district will appeal the court’s decision.
"Are they going to continue to bleed taxpayer money to fight for the right to censor religious speech?" Sasser asked.
Beaumont attorney David Starnes has argued that the banners represent
the personal views of the students and do not need to be restricted.
However, Thomas Brandt, the attorney representing the school district,
claimed that the case is not an issue of free speech, but of the
school’s rightful control over the content of the banners.
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