Liberty Institute Releases Judge's Final Order Confirming Kountze Cheerleaders Victory In Bible Banner Case

KOUNTZE, Texas, May 8, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --Today, Hardin County District Court Judge Steven Thomas entered an order granting the Kountze Cheerleaders a victory in the seven-month-long case over the permissibility of displaying run-through banners with Bible messages at Kountze ISD sporting events.  The cheerleaders, their parents and attorneys will hold a press conference to discuss the long-awaited victory in Beaumont, TX, at 5 PM CT Today.

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The Court's order declares:

• "The Kountze cheerleaders' banners that included religious messages and were displayed during the 2012 football season were constitutionally permissible."
• "Neither the Establishment Clause nor any other law prohibits the cheerleaders from using religious-themed banners at school sporting events.  Neither the Establishment Clause nor any other law requires Kountze I.S.D. to prohibit the inclusion of religious-themed banners at school sporting events."

To view the Hardin County District Court Judge's order online, please visit: https://www.libertyinstitute.org/document.doc?id=79

"The Court's order today that the cheerleaders' run-through banners are constitutionally permissible vindicates our clients' rights and brings this case to a successful end," said Roger Byron, an attorney with Liberty Institute. "We are pleased that the judge ruled to protect the cheerleaders' display of banners with religious messages at sporting events. This is a great victory, not only for these cheerleaders, but for religious liberty of student leaders across the country."

In an effort to share positive and uplifting messages with players and fans, high school and middle school cheerleaders in Kountze, TX, decided to paint Bible verses on their student-made run-through banners at their school football games. After receiving a complaint from the Freedom from Religion Foundation, the Kountze ISD superintendent banned the messages. Then, in Sept. 2012, Beaumont attorney David Starnes and Liberty Institute filed a lawsuit, Coti Matthews on behalf of her minor child, Macy Matthews, et al., v. Kountze Independent School District, on behalf of Kountze ISD cheerleaders and their parents.  On October 18, 2012, the court granted a temporary injunction allowing student-made religious banners to continue until a final decision in the case.

"We especially appreciate the efforts of Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott, who intervened into the case in support of the cheerleaders," said Hiram Sasser, Liberty Institute's Director of Litigation.  "The extra efforts of Deputy Solicitor General Adam Aston were instrumental in the successful resolution of this case."

Liberty Institute is a nonprofit legal group dedicated to defending and restoring religious liberty across America — in our schools, for our churches and throughout the public arena. Liberty's vision is to reestablish religious liberty in accordance with the principles of our Founding Fathers. For information, visit www.LibertyInstitute.org.

SOURCE Liberty Institute

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Final Ruling Expected In Bible Banner Case; Kountze Cheerleaders Hold Press Conference

KOUNTZE, Texas, May 7, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The following is being released by Liberty Institute:

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What: Liberty Institute and Beaumont attorney David Starnes will accompany their clients, members of the Kountze High School and Middle School Cheerleaders and their parents during a media availability to discuss a Hardin County District Judge's expected ruling tomorrow in the high-profile case over the constitutionality of the cheerleaders' display of run-through banners with Bible messages at sporting events.

Who: Kountze High School and Middle School Cheerleaders and their parents, who stood up for their speech and religious freedom rights seven months ago in the face of an unconstitutional KISD ban on Bible banners, will attend to discuss the case with media, along with their attorneys, David Starnes and Liberty Institute attorney Roger Byron.

When: Tomorrow, Wednesday, May 8, at 5 p.m. CT

Where: The Law Offices of David W. Starnes
390 Park, Suite 700
Beaumont, TX 77701

Background:

In an effort to share positive and uplifting messages with players and fans, high school cheerleaders in Kountze, TX, decided to paint Bible verses on their student-made run-through banners at their school football games. After receiving a complaint from the Freedom from Religion Foundation, the Kountze ISD superintendent banned the messages. In Sept. 2012, Liberty Institute filed a lawsuit, Coti Matthews on behalf of her minor child, Macy Matthews, et al., v. Kountze Independent School District, on behalf of the Kountze High School and Middle School cheerleaders and was granted a temporary injunction that allowed student-made religious banners to continue for the duration of the football season and until the court made a final decision in the case.

About: Liberty Institute is a nonprofit legal group dedicated to defending and restoring religious liberty across America — in our schools, for our churches and throughout the public arena. Liberty's vision is to reestablish religious liberty in accordance with the principles of our Founding Fathers. For information, visit www.LibertyInstitute.org.

SOURCE Liberty Institute

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Pennsylvanians complete 100 days of climate action to call for final EPA carbon pollution standards for power plants

HARRISBURG, Pa., May 6, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- When President Obama stated at his second inauguration that we have a moral obligation to fight climate change, Pennsylvanians saw it as a call to action. Over the past 100 days, a coalition of environmental groups including PennFuture, National Wildlife Federation, Clean Air Council, PennEnvironment, and Sierra Club have joined with Pennsylvania citizens to help fulfill that obligation by holding events across the state and generating more than 6,200 grassroots activities directed toward policymakers. These actions highlighted the need for the President and his administration to follow through on his promises to limit industrial carbon pollution that causes climate change and endangers the health of our communities.

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"President Obama called climate action an 'obligation' and we spent the last 100 days showing the President we support his fulfillment of that obligation and look forward to his prioritizing American leadership on climate and clean energy during his second term," said Joy Bergey, federal policy director for PennFuture. "Right now, after the Obama Administration missed a recent court-ordered deadline, the EPA can finalize a Carbon Pollution Standard for power plants and then immediately turn its attention to curbing carbon pollution from existing power plants. These are the largest producer of dangerous carbon pollution, and a strong carbon pollution standard would be a major step forward in protecting public health, especially of our children and seniors."

In addition to the efforts in Pennsylvania, groups across the nation participated in many local actions over the last 100 days to highlight our climate action obligation that included:

1. 13,899 participants in climate change activities nationwide; and
2. 17,226 grassroots activities nationwide, such as climate change awareness events, letter writing, and phone calls to policy makers.

Those who participated say we've waited long enough for our leaders to act to protect our health and build our economy using cleaner, safer energy technology.

"People of faith recognize that we have a moral calling to care for each other and for Creation. Every year, power plants dump more than two billion tons of dangerous industrial carbon pollution into our shared air, impairing our children's health and their futures. We can work to make our lives as energy-efficient as we can, but neither individuals nor congregations can change the way power is generated," said Cricket Eccleston Hunter, executive director of PA Interfaith Power & Light. "The EPA should complete the final version of the proposed and reviewed new source standards without further delay."

There are also benefits to the economy of moving forward. "Just as the Obama administration's clean car standards are helping rebuild the American auto industry, these power plant standards to protect human health will promote the innovation and investment needed to create jobs," said Christina Simeone, director of the PennFuture Energy Center.

PennFuture is a statewide public interest membership organization, founded in 1998, with staff in Harrisburg, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and Wilkes-Barre. PennFuture's activities include litigating cases before regulatory bodies and in local, state, and federal courts; advocating and advancing legislative action on a state and federal level; public education; and assisting citizens in public advocacy.

The Philadelphia Inquirer called PennFuture the "state's leading environmental advocacy organization;" the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette named the organization "one of the 10 most influential groups on the issue of natural gas drilling;" and StateImpact Pennsylvania, an online collaboration of NPR stations across the state, called PennFuture "the commonwealth's main environmental advocate."

Contact: Joy Bergey bergey@pennfuture.org, 215-313-1311

SOURCE Citizens for Pennsylvania's Future (PennFuture)

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