| Topic: |
Sociology > Education |
| User: |
"" |
| Date: |
03 Aug 2006 04:34:27 AM |
| Object: |
Religious Right Groups Seek Lomits on Church State Lawsuits |
For Immediate Release
August 2, 2006
Americans United for Separation of Church and State
Contact: Joe Conn, Rob Boston or Jeremy Leaming
202.466.3234 telephone
202.466.2587 fax
www.au.org
RELIGIOUS RIGHT GROUPS SEEK LIMITS ON CHURCH-STATE LAWSUITS
Don't Discourage Americans From Asserting Their Religious Liberty Rights In
Court, Americans United's Lynn Urges Senate Panel
Americans United for Separation of Church and State today urged the Senate
Subcommittee on the Constitution not to make it more difficult for
Americans to bring church-state violations into court.
The subcommittee is hearing testimony today from lawyers affiliated with TV
preachers Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson on a proposal to deny legal fees
and out-of-pocket expenses to plaintiffs who win lawsuits under the First
Amendment's Establishment Clause. They are supporting S. 3696, "The
Veterans' Memorials, Boy Scouts, Public Seals, and Other Public Expressions
of Religion Protection Act."
The proposal is being touted by Religious Right groups as a way to
discourage lawsuits challenging religious displays on public property.
But, in fact, it is much more far-reaching and would deny reimbursement in
conflicts ranging from government-sponsored religion in public schools to
taxpayer funding for religious schools and other ministries.
"This bill is intended to make it harder for people to stand up for their
religious liberty," said the Rev. Barry W. Lynn, executive director of
Americans United. "It would be an outrage if Falwell and Robertson got away
with this. Our constitutional freedoms don't count for much if individuals
don't have the financial means to bring their legitimate claims before the
bar of justice."
Americans who believe that government has violated their rights by
unconstitutionally getting involved in matters of religion are free to file
lawsuits. If the lawsuits are successful, current federal law allows for
the recovery of reasonable attorneys' fees and out-of-pocket expenses. If
S. 3696 passes, however, that will no longer be the case.
Lynn noted that the bill would have a severe negative impact on religious
minorities. The New York Times reported Monday on a Jewish family in
Delaware that is challenging majority intolerance by officials, staff and
students at their local public school. The proposal under consideration in
the Senate would make it much more financially difficult for them to bring
a lawsuit.
Lynn also asserted that if the bill passes, it will set a precedent for
Congress to deny attorneys' fees in other types of litigation. Currently,
attorneys' fees are recoverable in a wide range of successful cases against
the government involving constitutional and civil rights violations.
"Americans should have the ability to seek justice in the courts if they
believe their rights have been violated by the government," Lynn said.
"This bill is an effort to slam the courthouse door in their faces because
some members of Congress don't like the outcome of some of these
church-state cases. It's fundamentally un-American."
Several national organizations that support civil rights and civil
liberties have joined forces to oppose the measure.
Americans United is a religious liberty watchdog group based in Washington,
D.C. Founded in 1947, the organization educates Americans about the
importance of church-state separation in safeguarding religious freedom.
****** If you have not yet signed the FIRST FREEDOM FIRST petition please
go to: www.firstfreedomfirst.org ******
***************************************************************
You are invited to check out the following:
The Rise of the Theocratic States of America
http://members.tripod.com/~candst/theocracy.htm
American Theocrats - Past and Present
http://members.tripod.com/~candst/theocrats.htm
The Constitutional Principle: Separation of Church and State
http://members.tripod.com/~candst/index.html
[and to join the discussion group for the above site and/or Separation of
Church and State in general, listed below]
HRSepCnS · Hampton Roads [Virginia] SepChurch&State
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HRSepCnS/
[Its not just Hampton Roads folks who are members, there are members from
all over the US and a couple from overseas as well]
***************************************************************
.. . . You can't understand a phrase such as "Congress shall make no law
respecting an establishment of religion" by syllogistic reasoning. Words
take their meaning from social as well as textual contexts, which is why "a
page of history is worth a volume of logic." New York Trust Co. v. Eisner,
256 U.S. 345, 349, 41 S.Ct. 506, 507, 65 L.Ed. 963 (1921) (Holmes, J.).
Sherman v. Community Consol. Dist. 21, 980 F.2d 437, 445 (7th Cir. 1992)
.. . .
****************************************************************
USAF LT. COL (Ret) Buffman (Glen P. Goffin) wrote
"You pilot always into an unknown future;
facts are your only clue. Get the facts!"
That philosophy 'snipit' helped to get me, and my crew, through a good
many combat missions and far too many scary, inflight, emergencies.
It has also played a significant role in helping me to expose the
plethora of radical Christian propaganda and lies that we find at
almost every media turn.
*****************************************************************
THE CONSTITUTIONAL PRINCIPLE:
SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE
http://members.tripod.com/~candst/index.html
****************************************************************
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