Article From Fox News:

Texas judge rules for cheerleaders in Bible banner verse suit

AUSTIN, Texas –  A judge stopped an East Texas school district on Thursday from barring cheerleaders from quoting Bible verses on banners at high school football games, saying the policy appears to violate their free speech rights.
District Judge Steve Thomas granted an injunction requested by the Kountze High School cheerleaders allowing them to continue displaying religious-themed banners pending the outcome of a lawsuit set to go to trial next June 24, Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott said. Thomas previously granted a temporary restraining order allowing the practice to continue.
School officials barred the cheerleaders from displaying banners with religious messages such as, "If God is for us, who can be against us," after the Freedom From Religion Foundation complained. The advocacy group says the messages violate the First Amendment clause barring the government -- or a publicly funded school district, in this case -- from establishing or endorsing a religion.
Republican Gov. Rick Perry and Abbott spoke out in support of the cheerleaders on Wednesday. Perry appointed Thomas to fill a vacancy on the 356th District Court, and he is running for election to continue in the post as a Republican.
Abbott also filed court papers to intervene in the lawsuit and sent state attorneys to support the cheerleaders' position that the district's ban violated their free speech rights. The Texas Education Code also states that schools must respect the rights of students to express their religious beliefs.
"It is the individual speech of the cheerleaders and not in fact the government speaking," David Starnes, the cheerleaders' attorney said, according to KDFM television. "It is not just one girl or one person in the group that comes up with the quote, but it's on a rotating basis that each girl gets to pick the quote. That is their individual voices that are being portrayed on the banner."


Read reast of story here: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/10/18/judge-expected-to-rule-in-texas-cheerleader-bible-verse-banner-suit/?test=latestnews

 

For more info about this Kountze situation, see these Previous Articles:


Judge's Decision Allows Kountze Cheerleaders to Hold Signs with Bible Verses at Football Game/Rally Friday Oct 5th

Urgent: Support Kountze Kids Faith - Texas Students Fighting for Religious Freedom

Congressman Stockman and Rep. White Support Kountze Kids Faith - Liberty Institute & CLA Send Lawyers

Judge Says Kountze Students ALLOWED to Hold Religious Signs. Restraining Order by Judge Steve Thomas

Student Disciplined for Bible Verse on Face at West Hardin ISD TX Football Game

TX AG Greg Abbott Supports Kountze Cheerleaders Banned from Holding Religious Banners

Kountze Kids Get Support from Barry Smitherman Texas Railroad Commission Chairman

Rep. James White Tells TASB: "Unwarranted" to Ban Religious Student Banners - Letter to Texas Association of School Boards - James Crow

Judge's Decision Allows Kountze Cheerleaders to Hold Signs with Bible Verses at Football Game/Rally Friday Oct 5th

Steve Thomas, Texas State District Judge in Hardin County, has extended his temporary restraining order for 2 more weeks. This extension allows Students in Kountze ISD the ability to hold personally made signs at public school events, even if the signs have Bible Verses or religious encouragements. Judge Thomas had previously granted a temporary restraining order in favor of the cheerleaders who were banned from holding signs or banners at Football games if they contained anything religious on them.

This extra extension was granted so that, before he makes his decision, Judge Thomas can thoroughly review documents submitted by both sides. The Liberty Institute's Mike Johnson, is representing the students. There was even a brief submitted to Judge Thomas from influential Texas authority, Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott. Abbott took the side of the cheerleaders and said that State Law, the Texas Constitution, and past Court Rulings protect the religious rights of these kids. Abbott went even further to say that the Freedom from Religion Foundation (FFRF) was trying to just stir up trouble and has tried to do this in Texas before but has failed. Other Texas Republicans have stood up and expressed support for these students including Congressman Steve Stockman, State Rep. James White, State Board of Education Member David Bradley, and Railroad Commissioner Barry Smitherman.

Before Judge Thomas granted the extension on the restraining order today, the Superintendent testified that he had acted on bad advice from the school lawyers in banning the signs. The Superintendent, Kevin Weldon, went on to say that he now believes that his decision banning these signs not only violates district policy, but also the rights of the students.

There is a big RALLY tomorrow, Oct 5th 2012 7:30pm at the Kountze High School Football game in Kountze, TX.

Come out to Support the Kountze Kids!

There are thousands of people from everywhere expected to come to this game and hold signs supporting these students and their religious rights.

This will be the first home game since the school district superintendent banned the cheerleaders from holding their signs. This restraining order allows students at this game to hold signs with Bible verses and other religious encouragements.

Show support for this rally on facebook! Go to the rally facebook event page HERE http://www.facebook.com/events/105912862899560/ and click like or click join to tell everyone that you are going and to invite other people to join

also, for more info about the rally: www.SupportKountzeKidsFaith.com


for more info about the Kountze Situation, check out these articles:

Urgent: Support Kountze Kids Faith - Texas Students Fighting for Religious Freedom

Congressman Stockman and Rep. White Support Kountze Kids Faith - Liberty Institute & CLA Send Lawyers

Judge Says Kountze Students ALLOWED to Hold Religious Signs. Restraining Order by Judge Steve Thomas

Student Disciplined for Bible Verse on Face at West Hardin ISD TX Football Game

TX AG Greg Abbott Supports Kountze Cheerleaders Banned from Holding Religious Banners

Kountze Kids Get Support from Barry Smitherman Texas Railroad Commission Chairman

Rep. James White Tells TASB: "Unwarranted" to Ban Religious Student Banners - Letter to Texas Association of School Boards - James Crow

War Against Religion: Texas Senator John Cornyn Tells Air Force to Stop Banning Bible Verses

It seems like every day there are new reports of an organization or government agency that is discriminating against, or banning, Christianity. From the attempted banning of crosses at memorials to the banning of Christian prayers at the Houston National Cemetery, there is an all-out war against Christianity. The constitution has been misrepresented and distorted in an effort to prevent people from openly expressing their religious beliefs. The Founding Fathers of course not only allowed religious expression, they regularly supported religious expression!More recently, the United States Air Force has suspended a training class because it simply mentions Bible Verses in the course.

Republican Texas Senator John Cornyn, along with probably most Americans, has a problem with this. Senator Cornyn has sent a letter to the Secretary of the Air Force, Michael Donley, saying that the Air Force has wrongly interpreted and requesting that the class be reinstated.

Senator Cornyn’s entire letter is posted below:

Dear Secretary Donley:

I write to express my concern regarding recent reports that the Department of the Air Force has suspended a course entitled “Christian Just War Theory.”  It is my understanding that this course, taught by chaplains at Vandenberg Air Force Base, was suspended and is currently under review by Air Force officials after complaints were made that the curriculum referenced passages from the Bible.

As you may know, the reports indicate that a spokesman for the Air Force’s Air Education and Training Command has said that the main purpose of the course was to enable missile launch officers to understand that “what they are embarking on is very difficult and you have to have a certain amount of ethics about what you are doing to do that job.”  Our military services, like our nation, are comprised of people representing all faiths.  However, that fact does not preclude military chaplains from teaching a course on just war theory – a theory that has been a part of moral philosophy and the law of war for centuries – merely because it has historically been predicated on religious texts.

Moreover, suspending a course like this because of references to religious texts misinterprets the First Amendment.  Although our Founding Fathers rightly included language in the Constitution that precludes the Federal government from establishing an official religion, this language does not, as some have argued, protect them from exposure to religious references.  The First Amendment is intended to guarantee an individual’s right to the free exercise of religion according to his or her conscience.  The Air Force personnel who have taken this course for the past 20 years have been free to determine, according to their own consciences, whether they accept or reject the premises of just war theory.

With these concerns in mind, I strongly urge you to ensure that a correct interpretation of the First Amendment is applied in resolving this situation.  Moreover, I ask that you provide me with a detailed report on any actions taken by Air Force officials in response to these complaints. 

I appreciate your attention to this request.  Thank you for your service to the men and women of the United States Air Force and our nation.