Kountze Cheerleaders Present Case At Hearing To Determine Fate Of Student-Made Religious Banners

Beaumont Attorney David Starnes and Liberty Institute Will Represent Kountze ISD Cheerleaders During Anticipated Court Hearing on Request for Injunction, Oct 4

KOUNTZE, Texas, Oct. 3, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --

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WHAT:  
Tomorrow, Beaumont lead attorney David Starnes and Liberty Institute's First Amendment religious freedom battle on behalf of Kountze ISD cheerleaders will come to a head during a public hearing on their request for a temporary injunction at the Hardin County District Court in Kountze, TX.  Following testimony and arguments, a judge is expected to rule whether or not to grant a temporary injunction allowing student-made spirit banners with religious messages at football games and other sports events. 

WHO:
Lead attorney David Starnes and Liberty Institute attorneys Mike Johnson, Hiram Sasser and Erin Leu, will represent the Kountze High School Cheerleaders at the hearing. Kountze ISD board members and their legal counsel will also be present on behalf of the school district.

WHEN:
Thursday, Oct. 4 at 9 AM CT

WHERE: 
Hardin County Courthouse, 300 Monroe, Kountze, TX

DETAILS: 
The town of Kountze, TX, located 85 miles north of Houston, burst into a firestorm of media attention after the Wisconsin-based Freedom from Religion Foundation complained to Kountze ISD Superintendent Kevin Weldon about the students making and displaying banners containing religious messages. Weldon placed a district-wide ban on the religious banners until Starnes and Liberty Institute on behalf of the cheerleaders, pursued and were granted a temporary restraining order that allowed cheerleaders, students and fans alike to continue encouraging their sports teams using religious banners.

Last week, Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott defended the cheerleaders' religious freedom in a letter, referring to the FFRF as "menacing  and misleading" bullies. Attorney General Abbott vowed to file a brief in support of the cheerleaders' religious liberties if Kountze ISD is sued for doing the right thing--once again allowing students to freely make and display banners without government censorship.

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