Texas Cheerleaders God Ruling Okays Public Schools Endorsing Religion

The Texas cheerleaders God ruling on their Christian banners has the judge saying it’s okay for a publicly funded school to endorse a religion at least when it comes to high school football.

As previously reported by The Inquisitr, a temporary Texas cheerleaders God ruling back in October of 2012 granted an injunction to the Kountze High School texas cheerleaders, acknowledging that banning them from writing Bible verses on banners not supplied by the school is a violation of their free speech rights.

In the area of Kountze its a tradition for these Texas cheerleaders to write Bible verses and religious messages – such as, “If God is with us, who can be against us?” – on large sheets of paper. The Texas cheerleaders proudly put them on display during home games for the high school’s football team.

Liberty Institute General Counsel Jeff Mateer said the Texas cheerleaders God ruling ” is a victory for students across the country. The message that this decision sends is it is impermissible for the government to ban the private speech of students.”

Annie Laurie Gaylor, co-president of the Freedom From Religion Foundation, had originally complained the Texas cheerleader’s Christian banners were a violation of the Establishment Clause of the United States Constitution’s First Amendment, which states that the government “shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion.” After the Texas cheerleaders God ruling was announced, Gaylor was outraged:

“The cheerleaders represent the school. When they misuse their public podium to tell a captive audience that some of you have the right religion and the rest of you need to convert, that is not only bad law, that’s bad manners. We are hoping that students, parents, and faculty members will come forward when this practice continues and we will be able to sue in federal court where this case really belongs.”

State District Judge Steven Thomas wrote in his final Texas cheerleaders God ruling that the Christian banners “have not created, and will not create, an establishment of religion in the Kountze community.”

What do you think of the Texas cheerleaders God ruling which allows public school football teams to endorse religion?