Tag Archives: ZZ: B.H. v. Garcia

One News Now: The L.A. Unified School District is an $8 billion entity; trying to get them to take any action is difficult at best, and in this case, although it took the filing of a federal lawsuit and an emergency motion for a temporary restraining order, it was certainly good news,” Cortman says.

Christian Examiner: “Christian students shouldn’t be censored at public schools just because district officials consider religious speech to be offensive,” said ADF Senior Counsel David Cortman. “The school district is doing the right thing by changing its policy to protect students’ constitutionally protected rights so that censorship of religious speech no longer occurs during student activities.”

Gather News: esus. How many times should the word Jesus be sung in a song to not be a violation? Once? Three times? Who knows? But the boy wanted to dance to his favorite song, so his mother apparently contacted the Alliance Defense Fund, who filed a lawsuit on their behalf. They claimed her son’s First Amandment rights were violated.

Daily Mail: “But a lawsuit from Christian legal group the Alliance Defense Fund on behalf of the boy prompted the district to change its policy, reported Fox News and Charisma.
The boy was eventually allowed to perform the song at the talent show in February.”

Fox News: “Christian students shouldn’t be censored at public schools just because district officials consider religious speech to be offensive,” said ADF Senior Counsel David Cortman in a press release. “The school district is doing the right thing by changing its policy to protect students’ constitutionally protected rights so that censorship of religious speech no longer occurs during student activities.”

The Los Angeles Unified School District has agreed to change a policy that initially prevented a 5th-grade student afflicted with cerebral palsy from performing to a Christian song as part of a talent show in February.

ADF President Alan Sears writes at the ADF Blog: “Please join me in giving thanks for Daniel Watkins of Newport Beach, and the nearly 1,900 other attorneys in the ADF alliance, who are graciously contributing their talents in defense of religious freedom. And join me, too, in giving thanks for children who still want to proclaim the love and truth of Jesus Christ in their community. May God grant us wisdom and success in preserving their freedom to do just that.”

One News Now: The principal first told the student that she thought the lyrics were offensive, which was obviously troubling to us because all the lyrics are is that ‘We shine because we belong to Jesus,’” the attorney explains. “And then she [asked] our client…’Can’t you pick a song that doesn’t say ‘Jesus’ so many times?’” The principal did not stop there, says Cortman. “And then finally she actually equated the religious lyrics with vulgarity — and so each reason she gave, in my mind, just dug herself deeper in as far as violating the First Amendment.”

FoxNews: “Christian students shouldn’t be censored at public elementary schools because district officials think that religious speech may be offensive, which isn’t justified by the Constitution” said ADF Senior Counsel David Cortman. “The LAUSD did the right thing by recognizing the student’s constitutional rights and lifting its censorship of religious speech at the talent show.”

ADF attorney appeared on the radio to discuss this: LAUSD allows Christian 5th-grade student in talent show same day ADF files for temporary restraining order. | Matt Sharp on the John Phillips Show, KABC radio — MP3 audio 11:47 mins. | Dave Cortman on “Talk from the Heart” with Rich Buehler – MP3 audio 7:50 mins | Dave Cortman on the Hugh Hewitt Show — MP3 audio 8:42 mins

The First Amendment Center (AP): The mother was asked, “Can he pick a song that doesn’t say Jesus so many times,’” said David Cortman, senior legal counsel for the Alliance Defense Fund, a Christian-based legal organization that represents the mother.The mother noted that the talent show had not listed any restrictions on the content of performances and was offended when she was told that several other students were told to change their songs because they contained profanity, Cortman said.“The mother was troubled that [the principal] had just compared Christian speech to vulgarity,” he said.

Christian Post: “Christian students shouldn’t be censored at public elementary schools because district officials think that religious speech may be offensive, which isn’t justified by the Constitution,” commented ADF Senior Counsel David Cortman.
“The LAUSD did the right thing by recognizing the student’s constitutional rights and lifting its censorship of religious speech at the talent show.”

LAIST: The National Alliance Defense Fund, who are Christian attorneys who work on cases regarding religious freedom, are on the case, and are speaking on behalf of the boy whose identity is not being released. “The courts have time and time again established that Christian students cannot be discriminated against for wanting to express their religious beliefs at schools,” says attorney Matt Sharp.

California Catholic Daily: Christian students shouldn’t be censored at public elementary schools because district officials think that religious speech may be offensive, which isn’t justified by the Constitution” said ADF Senior Counsel David Cortman. “The LAUSD did the right thing by recognizing the student’s constitutional rights and lifting its censorship of religious speech at the talent show.”

ADF attorneys move forward with lawsuit to make sure district doesn’t exclude, censor religious content in future school-related student activities

Religion Clause Blog: “Alliance Defense Fund issued a press release announcing filing of the lawsuit.”

Charisma (includes photo of David Cortman): Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) attorneys filed a lawsuit Friday against Los Angeles Unified School District officials on behalf of the student. “Christian students shouldn’t be censored at public elementary schools because of their beliefs,” says ADF Senior Counsel David Cortman. “When religious content is censored by a public school while the content of other performances discussing similar topics is allowed, we have a major violation of a student’s constitutional rights.”

L.A.-area elementary school blocks religious content, tells student to pick song that ‘does not say Jesus so many times’