Category: Courts

March 14, 2013
created image showing Seperation of Church and State

Most of the posts on this blog talk about agents of the government NOT doing enough to support or ignoring the principle of the separation of church and state. Some religionists, in an effort to refute the principle, bring up examples of the overzealous application of the principle. Their intention is clear. They think that if the government goes too far in separation that it hurts the rights of believers but such overreaches are few and far between and don’t refute the principle that separation of church and state is needed.

You may have heard this or similar stories making the rounds on chain e-mails or posted to Facebook by religious friends:

March 4, 2013
screencap of Ohio Supreme Court Justice Paul Pfeifer
Ohio Supreme Court Justice Paul Pfeifer during oral arguments

Last Wednesday, John Freshwater, the Mount Vernon middle school teacher fired for proselytizing to his science classes then refusing to stop doing it when he was warned, had his appeal heard before the Ohio Supreme Court. His lawyer attempted to use a routine employment appeal to reopen the debate on teaching creationism in the public schools. Although rulings aren’t signaled based on the questioning during the hearing, it was clear the school attorney, David Smith, got the aggressive part of the questioning.

February 22, 2013
image of Proselytizing Ohio teacher John Freshwater
Proselytizing Ohio teacher John Freshwater

The saga of proselytizing teacher and accused child abuser John Freshwater from Mount Vernon Ohio will get another hearing by the Ohio State Supreme Court on Wednesday February 27th. He is appealing his termination from the Mount Vernon school district after many warnings, accusations of child abuse, and a lengthy investigation and school board hearing. Freshwater previously lost in the court of appeals and in Federal court.

February 13, 2013
screenshot from news report about Jesus Picture in Jackson Ohio middle school
Jesus Picture in Jackson Ohio middle school

The Jackson Ohio school district voted to keep up the Jesus picture hanging in the middle school lobby. It claims since it doesn’t own the picture then they will keep it up and allow other student groups to hang pictures of importance to them. This is an old dodge that people use to justify forcing religion on people. That dodge doesn’t absolve the defendants of violating the 1st amendment and the picture still needs to be removed.

February 8, 2013
screencap of Jesus picture in Jackson Ohio middle school

In a follow up news report about the Jesus picture hanging in the Jackson Ohio Middle school, the School District Superintendent reportedly said he was “shocked and surprised” by the lawsuit filed by the ACLU and the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF). This was even after they got a letter from the FFRF, last month, warning that a lawsuit would be filed if the picture wasn’t removed. That wasn’t the only silly thing in the reporting about the lawsuit.

The Columbus Ohio TV station, WBNS, had a report in the evening after the ACLU and FFRF filed their lawsuit. In the report (see video below) it reported that Superintendent Phil Howard was “shocked and surprised” by the lawsuit. WBNS also reported that the school district had finished an investigation of the issue and planned on reviewing the report at the next school board meeting.

January 24, 2013
photo showing fake fetuses in a hand

It should be no surprise that the Catholic Church has been working hard to stop abortions in the US by supporting laws that would prevent women’s reproductive choice. The church seems to care about the fetus more than the mother. That’s except when the issue of money comes up. As defendants in a malpractice lawsuit in Colorado the church is trying to hide behind a state law that says a fetus is not a person which is the opposite of its general view point on abortion.

Lori Stodghill was seven months pregnant and weighed close to 400 lbs, on New Years Day 2006, when she didn’t feel well. It was a holiday and her obstetrician told her to go to the emergency room at nearby Catholic run St. Thomas More Hospital in Cañon City. By the time her husband, Jeremy, had parked the car and returned to the ER, his wife was struggling for life due to cardiac arrest and a pulmonary embolism. Later, Lori and her unborn twins were pronounced dead. A couple years later Jeremy sued the hospital and doctors.