Tag Archives: Topic: Holidays

ABC (AP): The Texas House on Wednesday approved a bipartisan bill that aims to remove legal risks of saying “Merry Christmas” in Texas public schools.

MPR (AP): But Jordan Lorence, senior counsel with the Alliance Defending Freedom, said his group was disappointed and “seriously contemplating an appeal.”

Tampa Bay Times: Gilio filed a federal lawsuit, alleging the school district violated her son’s rights to freedom of speech and religion. She was assisted by the Alliance Defending Freedom, an Arizona group that seeks to find legal ways to protect religious liberty.

White House: As Christians, my family and I remember the incredible sacrifice Jesus made for each and every one of us – how He took on the sins of the world and extended the gift of salvation. And we recommit ourselves to following His example here on Earth. To loving our Lord and Savior. To loving our neighbors. And to seeing in everyone, especially “the least of these,” as a child of God.

Christian Institute: An American city has removed the word “Easter” from its Easter egg hunt in an attempt to “welcome all citizens to our events, regardless of faith”.

Alliance Defending Freedom sent a letter to an Alabama school district Wednesday after it banned the word “Easter” at one of its elementary schools in the “interests of religious diversity.”

Matt Sharp at Alliance Defending Freedom: We often underestimate children. We think they understand less than they do and that they are incapable of having their own thoughts or views. Schools often make the same mistake and use a child’s age to justify restrictions on their speech. We have been involved in numerous cases where schools restricted young students from handing out invitations to church events or sharing their faith at school.

Alan Sears at Alliance Defending Freedom: The dangers posed more and more across America to the First Amendment protections of Christians like you – and your children – often show themselves in subtle ways. A small legal bias here, an evasion of religious freedom there, and those who would sideline people of faith gain one more crucial foothold of legal ground they can use to block the spread of the Gospel.

Matt Sharp on IQ 106.9 Philadelphia with Lionel and Michelle Murillo to discuss the case. | MP3 audio 5:57 mins

One News Now: David Cortman is senior legal counsel for Alliance Defending Freedom, which filed the lawsuit in March 2011 on behalf of the Barrett Elementary Center student. “In this day and age, when our younger students are subject to so much that comes from both the school district and outside sources, it’s certainly important that they’re able to speak about their own faith and not be subject to censorship for it,” he states.

Citizen Link: “America’s public schools should recognize the constitutionally protected freedom of students who wish to hand out these kinds of fliers,” said ADF Legal Counsel Matt Sharp. “A flier cannot be banned just because some element of religious faith is part of it. On the contrary, the First Amendment specifically protected religious speech.”

Leonard Blair at Christian Post: In an interview with The Christian Post on Wednesday, Matt Sharp, legal counsel for Alliance Defending Freedom, a conservative Christian legal group based in Scottsdale, Ariz. which represented K.A. and her family, said they were happy with the ruling.
“We were very pleased with the court’s ruling in this. For several years there has been a move in the courts to respect the first amendment rights of students in particular, particularly younger students in elementary and middle school to share their faith at school,” he said.
“What this opens up is not just an invitation to a Christmas party but to any other religious event. It opens the door for K.A. to distribute any religious materials whether it’s an invitation to a church event or something else. As long as it’s done in a manner that doesn’t create a material disruption in school,” added Sharp.

Stoyan Zaimov at Christian Post: “Public schools should encourage, not shut down, the free exchange of ideas,” said Alliance Defending Freedom Senior Counsel David Cortman, who argued before the court in October. “Those ideas include a 5th-grader’s invitations to a religious event. The 3rd Circuit was correct in striking down the school district’s unconstitutional ban.”

Maryclaire Dale at Pocono Record (AP): Alliance Defending Freedom, a conservative Christian legal group based in Scottsdale, Ariz., backed the family’s appeal. “America’s public schools should recognize the constitutionally protected freedom of students who wish to hand out these kinds of fliers,” said Matt Sharp, the group’s legal counsel. “A flier cannot be banned just because some element of religious faith is a part of it. On the contrary, the First Amendment specifically protects religious speech.”

WJACTV.com (AP): Alliance Defending Freedom, a conservative Christian legal group based in Scottsdale, Ariz., backed the family’s appeal.
“America’s public schools should recognize the constitutionally protected freedom of students who wish to hand out these kinds of fliers,” said Matt Sharp, the group’s legal counsel. “A flier cannot be banned just because some element of religious faith is a part of it. On the contrary, the First Amendment specifically protects religious speech.”

The Morning Call: “As the Supreme Court said many years ago, students don’t shed their First Amendment rights at the schoolhouse gate, and that certainly applies to elementary school students as well,” said David Cortman, of Alliance Defending Freedom, a Georgia group that supports religious expression.

MSNBC: Alliance Defending Freedom, a conservative Christian legal group based in Scottsdale, Ariz., backed the family’s appeal. “America’s public schools should recognize the constitutionally protected freedom of students who wish to hand out these kinds of fliers,” said Matt Sharp, the group’s legal counsel. “A flier cannot be banned just because some element of religious faith is a part of it. On the contrary, the First Amendment specifically protects religious speech.”

Examiner.com: Today, Alliance Defending Freedom has announced that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the third Circuit Tuesday unanimously affirmed a lower court’s order that found two policies at a Pennsylvania school district unconstitutional after they were used to prevent a 5th-grade student from distributing invitations to a Christmas party at her church. [more]

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit Tuesday unanimously affirmed a lower court’s order that found two policies at a Pennsylvania school district unconstitutional after they were used to prevent a 5th-grade student from distributing invitations to a Christmas party at her church.

Annie Laurie Gaylor at NY Times: If I had my druthers, Christmas would not be a federal holiday. It’s a no-brainer. The First Amendment categorically states, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion.” Clearly, designating the date upon which Christians observe the birth of their messiah as a federal holiday is making a law respecting an establishment of religion, and placing governmental weight behind Christianity.

Religion Clause Blog: Last month, a Texas federal district court issued yet another decision in the 7-year long litigation challenging the Plano school district over school rules that, among other things, precluded a student from handing out candy canes with an attached religious message.

Woodbridge.Patch.com: First it was a Nativity scene at the municipal building that was a problem…now it looks like a huge lighted menorah may be an issue as well.

Eric Metaxes at the Christian Post: When we see bullying tactics being employed during the holidays, we ought to direct the victims to religious rights groups like the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, or the Alliance Defending Freedom. They take on religious hostility cases with great gusto and, I might add, with great success.

Bradley Abramson at the Christian Post: For more than half a century the city of Santa Monica, Calif., allowed local churches to place nativity scenes in one of the city parks during the Christmas season. However, this practice was stopped after Christmas 2011 when Santa Monica atheist Damon Vix secured a permit to place an atheist display near the nativity scene – for he constructed not a “celebrate atheism” display, but one that disparaged and attacked Christianity.

WorldNetDaily: ADF reported today “people are once again free to peacefully share their faith at the ‘Bentleyville Tour of Lights’ event.” “The government cannot ban the First Amendment in a public park just because event officials don’t like the message that a person is sharing,” said Alliance Defending Freedom Legal Counsel Jonathan Scruggs, who is co-counsel in the case with Nate Kellum of the Center for Religious Expression. “The court has done the right thing in enforcing what the original order sought to protect: the constitutionally protected freedom of citizens to engage in non-disruptive speech in a public place.”

Religion Clause Blog: However, the court refused to hold defendants in contempt because of ambiguity in the language of the original preliminary injunction, instead issuing a new modified injunction to cover future Festivals. Alliance Defending Freedom issued a press release announcing the court’s decision. Duluth News Tribunereports on the decision.

Education News: The student government at the University of California-Berkeley (CAL) passed a resolution last month that would ban Salvation Army bell ringers and their iconic red kettles from campus this Christmas because of the Christian organization’s alleged bias against homosexuality.

William Becker at the Washington Times: In Santa Monica, Calif., city leaders earlier this year pulled the plug on a 59-year-old community celebration of the Christmas story — the birth of Jesus — in tourist-friendly Palisades Park. The city that for decades billed itself as “The City of the Christmas Story” banished the yuletide tradition after a mischievous band of atheist activists last year secured the bulk of display permits in order to spread their tidings of scorn for the Nativity displays. Agreeing with the city, a federal judge last week tossed out a lawsuit challenging the new ban. Such is the state of Christmas present.

Matt Sharp appeared on the Bob Dutko Show | MP3 audio 11:05 mins | Related Alliance Defending Freedom press releases: ‘Christmas’ trees axed at NC college and Good grief! Atheist group disgruntled with ‘A Charlie Brown Christmas’

Hawaii News Now: A threatened lawsuit had put a halt to what’s become a Christmas tradition for members of the Moanalua High School orchestra. For the past six years, the award-winning group and volunteers from the New Hope Church have raised more than $200,000 for a charity that treats poor people in Africa.

LA Daily News: Residents in a Newhall senior apartment complex are protesting an order from management to remove their beloved Christmas tree from the community room because, they were told, it’s a religious symbol.

People are once again free to peacefully share their faith at the “Bentleyville Tour of Lights” event in Duluth. A federal court ruled Wednesday that the city violated a court order when it reinstated a First Amendment ban at the event.

Jordan Lorence at the Speak Up Movement University Blog: Each year, many liberals and secularists deny that there is any effort by anyone to censor Christmas. They claim that “Religious Right” leaders diabolically promote a phoney “War on Christmas” in order to bamboozle ignorant and gullible Christians into donating money for their efforts to thwart this allegedly nonexistent threat.

Findlaw: The name of the game is reasonable compromise. United Parcel Services will learn this the expensive way, according to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The federal watchdog agency is suing UPS on behalf of a former employee who was denied time off to attend the Memorial of Christ’s Death, which is an annual religious service for Jehovah’s Witnesses.

KATV.com (includes video): A church at the middle of a controversy regarding the play “Merry Christmas Charlie Brown” has decided to remove itself from the issue. Agape Church will not be offering the program for school matinees and will instead just have the public performances on the weekend. Here is a letter from the church that was sent to Channel 7.

Matt Sharp appeared on the Bill Post Radio Show to discuss the situation. | MP3 audio 14:07 mins

Matt Sharp appeared on KMCO with Greg Knapp last week to discuss the Christmas Tree controversy at Western Piedmont College. | MP3 audio 7:16 mins

Dave Cortman on the Janet Mefferd Show. | MP3 audio 15:37 mins

William McGurn at the Wall Street Journal: And the American people were again reminded of the apparent inability of so many of our bluest bloods to distinguish between upholding religious pluralism and enforcing anti-religion.

National Review embeds video of the debate.

Washington Examiner: By a wide margin, 68 percent to 23 percent, Americans prefer stores with signs that say “Merry Christmas” during the Christmas holidays than the more generic and secular “Happy Holidays,” according to a new Rasmussen Reports survey.

Matt Sharp appeared on the Bob Dutko Show to discuss this. | MP3 audio 5:13 mins

American Freedom Law Center: A longstanding, local tradition returns to Warren, Michigan for the 2012 Christmas season as John Satawa is scheduled to reinstall his family’s nativity scene on the public median between Mound and Chicago Roads on Saturday, December 15.

Matt Sharp appeared on Robert Mangino on KDKA Pittsburgh to discuss this. | MP3 audio 15:41 mins

Matt Sharp appeared on WTAM 1100 with Bob Frantz. | MP3 audio 9:10 mins | Related: NC College restores Christmas tree

Education News (linking to MyFoxBoston): “It’s ridiculous that anyone would have to think twice about using the word ‘Christmas’ as part of a Christmas tree sale,” said Matt Sharp, an attorney with Alliance Defending Freedom. ADF sent a letter to officials at Western Piedmont Community College urging them to either reconsider their decision to censor the word “Christmas” – or else face a possible lawsuit.

Liberty Counsel: For the second year, Rhode Island Governor Lincoln Chafee will not use “Christmas” to describe the evergreen tree decorated to celebrate December 25. “Governor, what do you call a green, pointed, prickly tree we decorate in December? Everyone except for the governor knows it’s a Christmas tree,” said Mat Staver, Founder and Chairman of Liberty Counsel.

Todd Starnes at Fox News: The student group contacted Alliance Defending Freedom — a legal advocacy group that handles many First Amendment issues. The ADF promptly sent the college a letter urging them to either reconsider their decision or face possible legal action. “We’re pleased the college did the right thing,” attorney Matt Sharp told Fox News. “It really is ridiculous they tried to make this club use the word holiday instead of Christmas.”

Christian Post: “It’s ridiculous that anyone would have to think twice about using the word ‘Christmas’ as part of a Christmas tree sale,” said Legal Counsel Matt Sharp. “Not only is it perfectly constitutional to use the word ‘Christmas,’ it is unconstitutional to prohibit use of it. This is another perfect example of the immense misunderstanding that far too many college officials have about what the First Amendment truly requires.”

Todd Starnes at Fox News: It’s ridiculous that anyone would have to think twice about using the word ‘Christmas’ as part of a Christmas tree sale,” said Matt Sharp, an attorney with Alliance Defending Freedom.

KPHO.com: Deputies said someone stole various holiday decorations from several Spartanburg yards, including part of a nativity scene.

Daily Herald: The Arlington Heights Park District and the Thomas More Society said Monday they are hopeful their dispute over a Nativity scene for the Arlington Heights holiday display won’t reach the lawsuit stage, but attorneys have not yet reached a solution. On Friday the Thomas More Society filed a complaint with the Arlington Heights Park District because it rejected a Nativity scene for the annual holiday display in North School Park. The park district said it rejected the offer in part because it uses only its own lights for the display and because the theme of the display is children’s toys.

College changes ‘Christmas tree sale’ to ‘holiday tree sale’
in student club’s ads for charitable fundraiser

Matt Sharp appeared on the Vicki McKenna Show to talk about the situation. | MP3 audio 10:40 mins

Todd Starnes at Fox News: But attorneys with the Alliance Defending Freedom said the secular group is way off base. “An overwhelming majority of Americans agree that it’s okay to celebrate Christmas in schools and in the public square,” attorney Matt Sharp said. The ADF sent a letter to the Little Rock School District offering their legal services should anyone sue over the performance. “Schools should not have to think twice about whether they can allow students to watch a classic Christmas production simply because a Bible verse is mentioned in it,” Sharp wrote in his letter. “Are atheist groups going to start demanding that students be blocked from attending other classic productions just because they contain religious references?”

Alliance Defending Freedom sent a letter Monday to Little Rock School District and one of its schools to encourage them to ignore an atheist group’s complaints about allowing students to view a play based on the classic Charles Schulz television special “A Charlie Brown Christmas.”

The city of Duluth is ignoring a court order that prevents it from enforcing a First Amendment ban on people desiring to share their faith at a public park during the “Bentleyville Tour of Lights” event. The violation of the order prompted Alliance Defending Freedom attorneys to file an emergency motion Tuesday that asks the court to enforce its injunction and hold the city in contempt.

CBS: KARK-TV reports that some parents were upset that Terry Elementary School in Little Rock wanted to take children to go see a play of “A Charlie Brown Christmas” at a local church. “The parents that we know in this situation are reluctant to speak up because they are concerned about their kids being singled out and bullied,” Anne Orsi, a lawyer and member of the Arkansas Society of Free Thinkers, told KARK.

William Becker, Jr. at American Thinker: When Tuesday (11/19/2012), United States District Court Judge Audrey B Collins delivered a 28-page ruling denying my client the right to continue a 59-year-old tradition of exhibiting Nativity scenes along Ocean Boulevard in the City of Santa Monica this Christmas season, another dagger plunged into the heart of America’s twilight customs and traditions. The sneered-at “war on Christmas” was effectively lost for good.

LA Times: In a closely watched case that has attracted national attention, Judge Audrey B. Collins denied a request from the Santa Monica Nativity Scenes Committee to erect multiple large displays depicting the story of the birth of Jesus in the park overlooking the ocean. The coalition of churches has erected the displays every December since the 1950s. But last year, after requests for display spots exceeded the space allotted, the city held a lottery to allocate spaces. Atheists won 18 of 21 spots. A Jewish group won another.

CNBC: Some 45 percent of those polled said the holiday season brings so much financial pressure, they would prefer to skip it altogether. Almost half said their level of stress related to holiday expenses is high or extremely high. That’s probably because nearly the same amount — some 45 percent — say they do not expect to have enough money set aside to cover holiday expenses.

Marietta Daily Journal: “In recent years, the tactic of many in the atheist community has been, if you can’t beat them, join them,” said Charles Haynes, a senior scholar at the First Amendment Center and director of the Newseum’s Religious Freedom Education Project in Washington. “If these church groups insist that these public spaces are going to be dominated by a Christian message, we’ll just get in the game — and that changes everything.” . . . “If they want to hold an opposing viewpoint about the celebration of Christmas, they’re free to do that — but they can’t interfere with our right to engage in religious speech in a traditional public forum,” said William Becker, attorney for the committee. “Our goal is to preserve the tradition in Santa Monica and to keep Christmas alive.”

Liberty Counsel: Today Liberty Counsel is launching its tenth annual “Friend or Foe Christmas Campaign,” pledging to be a “Friend” to those who recognize Christmas and a “Foe” to those who censor it.

One News Now: Matt Sharp of the Alliance Defending Freedom . . . The ADF attorney points out that elementary-age students have the same constitutional free-speech rights as adults. “Students have the right to engage in religious speech at school,” he notes, “and schools should be welcoming the free exchange of ideas among students, whether it’s an Easter egg hunt invitation or anything like that at school.”

Alan Sears at Townhall: Now, full disclosure: I’ve never liked Halloween anyway. But even with that, I can’t help wondering if our growing national obsession with this holiday is a dark reflection of things happening at deeper levels of our collective conscience. Looking past the masks we wear in most of our conversations about elections, government, and the society we share, any honest observer would have to admit that, in many ways, America is only a ghost of its former self.

KLTV.com: An East Texas county is denying an atheist organization’s request to display an anti-religious banner on the courthouse lawn this Christmas.

Christian Post: DF Senior Counsel David Cortman argued that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit should affirm the district court order. There was no decision made by the court during the hearing Wednesday involving the school district. “Public schools should encourage, not shut down, the free exchange of ideas – and that certainly includes a 5th-grader’s Christmas party invitations,” Cortman said. “America’s public schools should recognize the constitutionally protected freedom of religious students who wish to hand out these kinds of fliers. The district court was right to stop this unconstitutional ban on Christmas party invitations. Numerous courts have upheld similar fliers around the country.”

A federal court Thursday suspended two policies behind a Florida school’s ban on religious invitations while a lawsuit against the Hillsborough County School Board moves forward in court.

Nathan Cherry at the Engage Family Minute Blog: Matt Sharp with the Alliance Defending Freedom commented on the case: “We … unfortunately see this pop up all too often where students can’t express their faith in school. This is a common thing, but fortunately the courts have commonly held that schools can’t restrict this.”

AP on Tampa Bay Online: Gilio sued, employing the services of Christian legal organizations: David Gibbs of the Christian Law Association and lawyers from the Alliance Defending Freedom . . . Matt Sharp, a lawyer from Alliance Defending Freedom, said this type of case is not unusual. “We … unfortunately see this pop up all too often where students can’t express their faith in school,” Sharp said. “This is a common thing, but fortunately the courts have commonly held that schools can’t restrict this.”

WhiteHouse.gov: In the United States, Eid-al-Fitr speaks to the truth that communities of faith — including Muslim Americans — enrich our national life, strengthen our democracy and uphold our freedoms, including the freedom of religion.

Religion Clause Blog: Yesterday, at a ceremony marking the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, Illinois Governor Pat Quinn signed SB 2949, the University Religious Observances Act . . . Yesterday, at a ceremony marking the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, Illinois Governor Pat Quinn signed SB 2949, the University Religious Observances Act.

WYTV.com: A western Pennsylvania borough has rejected a proposed lottery system to solve objections from an atheists’ group over a Nativity scene that has been erected annually on borough property for decades

EllwoodCity.org: On Monday, a vote is expected to take place in order to determine the fate of the Nativity that for decades has sat on the front lawn of the Municipal Building in Ellwood City.

One News Now: William J. Becker Jr., an attorney with The Becker Law Firm, is making plans to reverse the decision of the city council. “Particularly in Santa Monica, the viewpoints of the politicians on the council and of the city attorney are well entrenched so that they are not going to budge on the matter, and so it will take some kind of pressure,” he tells OneNewsNow