Another victory by Americans United for Seperation of Chuch and State.

Americans United for Separation of Church and State welcomed a decision today by the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that a Wisconsin school district violated the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution when it held its graduation ceremonies in a church.

Yeah!

Ruling in Doe 3 ex rel. Doe 2 v. Elmbrook School District, a 10-judge panel of the 7th Circuit voted 7-3 in favor of Americans United. Writing for the majority, Judge Joel M. Flaum said that “conducting a public school graduation ceremony in a church — one that among other things featured staffed information booths laden with religious literature and banners with appeals for children to join ‘school ministries’ — runs afoul of the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause.”

Why is this hard for some people to understand.  How in the world did 3 judges think that this was ok?

“We applaud the court’s wise decision,” said the Rev. Barry W. Lynn, executive director of Americans United. “The decision makes clear to public schools that it’s not appropriate to hold graduation ceremonies in venues festooned with religious symbols.”

The school should have a gym or something.  If everyone does not fit do it in two groups or book a ball room at a local hotel.

Americans United filed suit on behalf of nine students, parents and graduates of the Elmbrook School District in Brookfield, Wisc. The plaintiffs felt like outsiders at the graduation ceremonies because of the religion-permeated environment provided by the church.

Elmbrook Church displays a large cross, which church officials have refused to cover, in the sanctuary where graduation ceremonies are held. The facility is filled with other religious iconography.

At graduations, parents and children sit in pews filled with Bibles and hymnals, “Scribble Cards for God’s Little Lambs” and church promotional cards that ask them whether they “would like to know how to become a Christian.” The church’s lobby is filled with evangelical pamphlets and postings, many of which are aimed at children and teens.

Religion knows that it is losing and must stoop to trickery to get the kids to show up.

Americans United noted that there are many non-religious facilities available for the graduation ceremonies, and other school districts in the area make use of them.

Ha!  I thought so!

Alex J. Luchenitser, Americans United’s associate legal director, who argued the case, said: “I am very pleased with today’s court decision. It is absolutely wrong to subject public school students to an intensely religious environment as the price of attending their own graduations.”

Just ask the christians if they are OK if next year it is held in a mosque or a room that has 5 foot high letter that say, “There is not god”.