Liberty Institute Ready to Defend Jesus Statue in Court In Wake of FFRC's Vow to File Lawsuit

KALISPELL, Mont., Feb. 1, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Yesterday, Liberty Institute on behalf of its client the Knights of Columbus of Kalispell claimed victory when the U.S. Forest Service renewed a 10-year land permit to allow the Jesus statue, a WWII monument honoring the sacrifice of the 10th Mountain Division, to remain standing atop Big Mountain in Montana. In the wake of the victory, a Wisconsin-based anti-religion group issued a statement on its website announcing its intent to counter the decision through a federal lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the WWII landmark.

"First, we applaud the U.S. Forest Service for following the law and allowing the memorial to remain," said Jeff Mateer, General Counsel for Liberty Institute. "Second, We stand firmly at the ready to defend our client against the bullying tactics of groups hostile to our client's private religious speech.  The First Amendment prohibits government discrimination against this private historic veterans memorial simply because of its religious viewpoint."

Liberty Institute is a non-profit legal firm that works to restore and defend religious freedoms in schools, churches and the public arena. The group also represented over 4 million veterans from organizations such as the Veterans of Foreign Wars, The American Legion, and the Military Order of the Purple Heart in a case to protect the Mojave Desert Veterans Memorial from being torn down by the ACLU, winning a huge victory at the U.S. Supreme Court. Visit www.LibertyInstitute.org for more information.

SOURCE Liberty Institute