Skip to main content

Texas High Court Backs Cheerleaders in Football 'Bible Banners' Case

CBN

Share This article

AUSTIN -- The Texas Supreme Court has ruled unanimously that the Kountze cheerleaders are allowed display Bible verses on run-through banners at school football games.

The Kountze Independent School District claimed the banners represented government speech, so the district could censor them whenever it wanted.  

But the cheerleaders and their attorneys insisted the banners represented the private speech of the cheerleaders and were protected under Texas law.

Kelly Shackelford of the Liberty Institute, one of the groups representing the cheerleaders, praised the 8-0 Texas Supreme Court decision.  

"This is an 8-0 victory for the free speech and religious liberty rights of all Texas students," he said. "We are delighted that the court considered this case so straightforward that it did not even require oral argument."

James Ho of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP also represented the cheerleaders and said, "At a time when religious liberty is under assault nationwide, this ruling is a welcome reminder that the Constitution protects people of faith – and a welcome rebuke to government agencies that try to play games with our rights."

The cheerleaders began painting Bible verses on the run-through banners in 2012.  When the Freedom From Religion Foundation found out about the practice, it filed a complaint with the Kountze Independent School District, which then banned the banners.

CBN's David Brody went to Kountze High School to report on the controversy when this story first surfaced in 2014. Click here to see that story.


Share This article