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Texas Supreme Court Rules in Favor of Cheerleaders Displaying Bible Verses

  • Veronica Neffinger

    Veronica Neffinger wrote her first poem at age seven and went on to study English in college, focusing on 18th century literature. When she is not listening to baseball games, enjoying the…

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  • Updated Feb 01, 2016

The Texas Supreme Court has ruled in favor of high school cheerleaders who displayed banners with Bible verses during football games.

Fox News reports that the Kountze school district prohibited the cheerleaders from displaying the banners on which they had printed Bible verses such as “I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13), claiming that the cheerleaders’ banners were part of “government speech,” and could thus be censored.

The court ruled against the school district and in favor of the free speech rights of the students.

Hiram Sasser, deputy chief counsel for the Texas-based Liberty Institute which represented the cheerleaders, said the question now is whether the school district will appeal the court’s decision.

"Are they going to continue to bleed taxpayer money to fight for the right to censor religious speech?" Sasser asked.

Beaumont attorney David Starnes has argued that the banners represent the personal views of the students and do not need to be restricted. However, Thomas Brandt, the attorney representing the school district, claimed that the case is not an issue of free speech, but of the school’s rightful control over the content of the banners.

Publication date: February 1, 2016