NEW ORLEANS - At the invitation of the Alliance Defense Fund, the ACLU
Foundation of Louisiana has submitted an amicus "friend of the court" brief at
the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. In the case, Netherland v.
City of Zachary et al, the ACLU stresses that the First Amendment protects the
right of an individual to quote Bible verses on the public streets. John
Todd Netherland was arrested in Zachary on charges of disturbing the peace - for
quoting the Bible. In its brief, the ACLU emphasizes that the government
has no authority to censor speech and that "when a citizen attempts to quote the
Bible in public, the Constitution protects his right to do so without fear of
criminal prosecution."
"The right to free speech extends to everyone in this
country, and religious speech is entitled to the same protection as any other,"
said Marjorie Esman, Executive Director of the ACLU Foundation of
Louisiana. "We are pleased that the Alliance Defense Fund invited us to
participate in this case, supporting the right of an individual to express his
religious views in public."
The Alliance Defense Fund has represented
defendants, including the Tangipahoa Parish School Board, in religious freedom
suits brought by the ACLU, but the two organizations are on the same side in the
present case. "This case shows that the ACLU is fully committed to
protecting the rights of all," said Esman. In fact, the ACLU filed a
nearly identical case in Natchitoches last year, called Crayton v. City of
Natchitoches.
The Netherland brief was written by ACLU cooperating attorney
Craig Freeman and ACLU Legal Director Katie Schwartzmann.
To read the brief, go to http://www.laaclu.org/PDF_documents/Netherland_Amicus.pdf