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May 27, 2008
Wisconsin Sheriff Has No Right To Impose Religion On Employees, Americans
United
Tells Appeals Court
Church-State Watchdog Says Required Attendance At 'Fellow****p Of Christian
Centurions'
Events Violated Constitution
A Wisconsin sheriff has no right to compel his employees to attend
presentations by
an evangelical Christian group, Americans United for Separation of Church
and State
has told a federal appeals court.
Read the friend-of-the-court brief:
http://www.au.org/site/R?i=QDe3YCQ8Mv5aVKehI4_LKw..
FCC representatives spoke at 16 mandatory roll call events where they
proselytized
attendees and passed out materials reflecting their religious views. A
Roman Catholic
deputy and a Muslim deputy objected to the speeches, but Clarke continued
to hold them.
"Government officials can't impose their religious beliefs on employees,"
said the Rev.
Barry W. Lynn, Americans United executive director. "Sheriff Clarke's job
is to uphold
the law and the Constitution, not undermine it."
Americans United's legal brief points out that the Supreme Court and other
federal
courts have repeatedly said that government officials may not coerce
people
to take part
in religious activities.
"This anti-coercion principle forbids government officials not only from
requiring
their subordinates to participate in religious activities such as prayer
or
Bible-reading,
but also from requiring them to attend events at which prayers are said or
proselytizing
speeches are made," asserts the AU brief.
U.S. District Judge Lynn Adelman ruled in September of 2007 that Clarke's
actions
amounted to a coercive promotion of religion. Clarke later filed an appeal
before the 7th
Circuit.
AU's legal brief in the Milwaukee Deputy Sheriffs Association v. Clarke
case was written
by Louis Cohen, Heather Gomes and Ryan Foreman of the Wa****ngton, D.C.,
office of the
international law firm WilmerHale, in consultation with AU Legal Director
Ayesha Khan and
AU Senior Litigation Counsel Alex Luchenitser.
http://www.au.org/site/R?i=AFxa8BLk3tjsTq4J27-dmA..
************************************************************
Americans United is a religious liberty watchdog group based in
Wa****ngton,
D.C.
Founded in 1947, the organization educates Americans about the im****tance
of church-state separation in safeguarding religious freedom.
************************************************************
Americans United Press Contacts:
Joe Conn, Rob Boston
www.au.org/press
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