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FrankRep
09-08-2009, 07:12 PM
Valedictorian Forced to Apologize for Speech Thanking Jesus Appeals to US Supreme Court
Had presented a 30-second valedictory speech that included reference to her faith in Jesus Christ. (http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/aug/09082804.html)


Life Site News
August 28, 2009


WASHINGTON, D.C., August 28, 2009 - A high school graduate, forced by public school officials to apologize for expressing her religious beliefs in her valedictory address or lose her diploma, has asked the US Supreme Court to review her case and reverse a lower court's decision that upheld the school's violations of her religious liberties and constitutionally protected speech.

Liberty Counsel, a non-profit public advocacy group dedicated to advancing religious freedom, filed a Petition for Certiorari at the United States Supreme Court, on behalf of Erica Corder, who graduated with a 4.0 GPA but was denied her diploma until she issued a publically disseminated, coerced, written apology for presenting a thirty-second valedictory speech that included a reference to her faith in Jesus Christ. The petition asks the high court to review the case for themselves and if four justices out of nine justices agree, then Corder will get her final appeal before the full US Supreme Court.

Corder was one of fifteen valedictorians from the Lewis-Palmer High School class of 2006. Each valedictorian orally presented a proposed speech to the principal before graduation. However, at the graduation ceremony, Corder deviated from her prepared speech and expressed her faith in Jesus Christ, encouraging the audience to learn more about her Savior.

"We are all capable of standing firm and expressing our own beliefs," she said in her address, "which is why I need to tell you about someone who loves you more than you could ever imagine. He died for you on a cross over 2,000 years ago, yet was resurrected and is living today in heaven. His name is Jesus Christ. If you don't already know Him personally I encourage you to find out more about the sacrifice He made for you so that you now have the opportunity to live in eternity with Him."

Afterwards, she was escorted to see the assistant principal, who stated that Corder would not receive her diploma because of the speech she had given. Principal Mark Brewer then decided that Corder could only receive her diploma if she apologized to the school community.

Corder prepared a statement saying the message was her own and was not endorsed by the principal. But Principal Brewer also insisted that she include the words: "I realize that, had I asked ahead of time, I would not have been allowed to say what I did."

Brewer sent out the valedictorian's message in an e-mail to the entire high school community. Shortly thereafter, Erica received her diploma.

Nonetheless, Liberty Counsel points out that Corder only complied because she feared the school would withhold her diploma, put damaging disciplinary notes in her file, and would generate negative publicity that could prevent her from becoming a school teacher.

"A valedictorian's speech is not government speech. Everyone knows that a valedictorian earned the high GPA and understands the speech belongs to the student," said Mat Staver, the founder of Liberty Counsel and one of Corder's representatives. "It is reprehensible that the school district threatened to withhold Erica Corder's diploma, merely because a few sentences of her 30-second speech included references to God."

Corder filed suit against the Lewis-Palmer School District of Colorado in August 2007, seeking declaratory relief and nominal damages for a violation of her First Amendment right to freedom of speech. The district court ruled there was no constitutional violation, stating that Corder's speech was "school-sponsored," and therefore the forced apology was not improper. This past May, the Tenth Circuit Court (http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/jun/09060102.html) of Appeals denied Corder's appeal and affirmed the ruling.

However Liberty Counsel is arguing that the Tenth Circuit's decision undermines student free speech rights and conflicts with an Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals decision, another graduation message case called Adler v. Duval County School Board. There a 12-judge panel of the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals sitting en banc sided with Liberty Counsel against the ACLU and found that a policy whereby students select the content of their messages is student speech, not school-sponsored speech.

Liberty Counsel hopes to use the precedent to argue before the Supreme Court that the religious viewpoints of students are protected by the First Amendment. The case is Corder v. Lewis-Palmer School District No. 38.


See related coverage by LifeSiteNews.com:

U.S. Court Rejects Appeal of Valedictorian Forced to Apologize for Expressing Faith in Christ (http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/jun/09060102.html)

Valedictorian Barred from Giving Speech Because of References to "God" Files Suit (http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/may/09050507.html)

High-School Valedictorian Sues School for Muting Speech Thanking Jesus (http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2006/jul/06071406.html)


SOURCE:
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/aug/09082804.html

Deborah K
09-08-2009, 07:30 PM
The separation of church and state lie really needs to be exposed.

FrankRep
09-08-2009, 07:35 PM
The separation of church and state lie really needs to be exposed.
I support the separation of school and state. :D

Live_Free_Or_Die
09-08-2009, 08:25 PM
I support the separation of school and state. :D

I second the motion ;)

jmdrake
09-08-2009, 08:55 PM
Huh? A school can deny a diploma to a 4.0 student who has fulfilled all of her requirements? I don't care if she mooned the principle on graduation day. If she fulfilled her requirements they have no right to withhold her diploma. And sanctioning a student for expressing her religious beliefs is just wrong. Hopefully she'll win her case. Of course that means the next valedictorian will be able to say "And I thank the wiccan goddess for putting me on the path to enlightenment and I hope the rest of you do the same" but I can live with that.

TastyWheat
09-08-2009, 09:03 PM
"A valedictorian's speech is not government speech. Everyone knows that a valedictorian earned the high GPA and understands the speech belongs to the student," said Mat Staver, the founder of Liberty Counsel and one of Corder's representatives. "It is reprehensible that the school district threatened to withhold Erica Corder's diploma, merely because a few sentences of her 30-second speech included references to God."
I completely agree with this statement. If the school explicitly forbid her to say such things I would be more on their side. Can I get an apology from my valedictorian for making her speech way longer than 30 seconds and extremely boring?

Dr.3D
09-08-2009, 09:09 PM
The separation of church and state was to ensure the church did not become incorporated with the government. In England, the Catholic church was for a long time running the show. The founding fathers didn't want that to happen in this country.

It has nothing to do with what a person has to say in a speech in school. It has nothing to do with a person praying or any of that tripe people are pushing it to be. It's about keeping the government a separate entity from the church. Nothing more.

Matt Collins
09-08-2009, 09:13 PM
Best way to avoid this situation in the future? Get government out of the business of education!

Dr.3D
09-08-2009, 09:15 PM
Best way to avoid this situation in the future? Get government out of the business of education!

That and keep the government out of the business of the churches.

jmdrake
09-08-2009, 09:47 PM
The separation of church and state was to ensure the church did not become incorporated with the government. In England, the Catholic church was for a long time running the show. The founding fathers didn't want that to happen in this country.

It has nothing to do with what a person has to say in a speech in school. It has nothing to do with a person praying or any of that tripe people are pushing it to be. It's about keeping the government a separate entity from the church. Nothing more.

By the time the U.S. was founded it was the Anglican church running the show in England, but yeah I get your point.

micahnelson
09-08-2009, 10:05 PM
What if he had said "I want to tell you all, through my study, there is no God. You must find your own heaven."

or....

"I want to tell you all about Mohammed, and the wonderful things he has done for me"

Would we be having the same conversation? Would we defend the student?

We need to lead with principles, not tradition. I understand America is mostly made up of Christians... but that might not always be the case. Is it in the best interest of christians to establish "Majority Rules" precedents when the church roles are in decline?

Dr.3D
09-08-2009, 10:48 PM
What if he had said "I want to tell you all, through my study, there is no God. You must find your own heaven."

or....

"I want to tell you all about Mohammed, and the wonderful things he has done for me"

Would we be having the same conversation? Would we defend the student?

We need to lead with principles, not tradition. I understand America is mostly made up of Christians... but that might not always be the case. Is it in the best interest of christians to establish "Majority Rules" precedents when the church roles are in decline?

You should be free to express your opinion as you see fit. It isn't like you are going to change the way everyone else thinks by doing so.

Reason
09-09-2009, 12:20 AM
However, at the graduation ceremony, Corder deviated from her prepared speech and expressed her faith in Jesus Christ, encouraging the audience to learn more about her Savior.

"We are all capable of standing firm and expressing our own beliefs," she said in her address, "which is why I need to tell you about someone who loves you more than you could ever imagine.

He died for you on a cross over 2,000 years ago, yet was resurrected and is living today in heaven.

His name is Jesus Christ. If you don't already know Him personally I encourage you to find out more about the sacrifice He made for you so that you now have the opportunity to live in eternity with Him."

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lol I would certainly have chuckled if I was in attendance but I would never vote to take away her right to make a fool of herself. :cool:

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axiomata
09-09-2009, 01:51 AM
On a similar note, the 9th Circuit upheld a ban on a high school orchestra playing an instrumental performance of Ave Maria at their graduation when seniors in the orchestra requested it.

from here (http://blogs.usatoday.com/ondeadline/2009/09/court-backs-ban-on-religiousbased-song-at-graduation.html)

My opinion is that the a school valedictorian has earned the right to a few minutes to say whatever the hell they want.

zach
09-09-2009, 08:45 AM
If I would say, "Friends, I owe this all to Leonardo DiCaprio because his acting skills and cute face have inspired me and others to do the best they can do, and look the best they can," then would there be an uproar? Maybe I follow Leonism.

Theocrat
09-09-2009, 09:32 AM
It's considered to be politically incorrect or "hate speech" to give a speech praising and thanking God in a public event for students, but how come it's not considered the same when the President does the opposite in public, particularly in this instance?

YouTube - Obama Speech on Religion (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2Kh-xzerjE)

I guess it's okay to denounce God (under the guise of "plurality") in public, but it's not okay to announce God in honor in the same arena. And we wonder why our nation is going down in flames...

acptulsa
09-09-2009, 09:46 AM
So, how do we get Secular Humanism declared by the Supreme Court to be a religion? I say we should do it just for the lulz. Imagine every public school board in the nation dancing the headless chicken all at once...

Theocrat
09-09-2009, 09:54 AM
So, how do we get Secular Humanism declared by the Supreme Court to be a religion? I say we should do it just for the lulz. Imagine every public school board in the nation dancing the headless chicken all at once...

Actually, the U.S. Supreme Court has already recognized secular humanism as a religion in the case Torcaso v. Watkins (1961) (http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/cgi-bin/getcase.pl?court=us&vol=367&invol=488). That is the religion which Obama was promoting in the video above.

acptulsa
09-09-2009, 10:02 AM
Actually, the U.S. Supreme Court has already recognized secular humanism as a religion in the case Torcaso v. Watkins (1961) (http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/cgi-bin/getcase.pl?court=us&vol=367&invol=488). That is the religion which Obama was promoting in the video above.

Really? Then this girl doesn't need to go to the SCOTUS, she just needs to file a discrimination suit. And so do a lot of other people.

Deborah K
09-09-2009, 01:09 PM
I support the separation of school and state. :D

I support it to the degree that I would be against indoctrinating children into a religion. But if a freakin basketball team wants to say a prayer before a game, or a valedictorian wants to profess her faith in God, etc. - it is ridiculous to attempt to fall back on a clause that doesn't even exist in the Constitution but comes from a phrase used in a letter written by Jefferson and misinterpreted by a misguided Supreme Court Judge. see: emerson vs. board of education 1946 (I think).

catdd
09-09-2009, 01:59 PM
sickening assault on the 1st amendment.

Dr.3D
09-09-2009, 02:04 PM
I support it to the degree that I would be against indoctrinating children into a religion. But if a freakin basketball team wants to say a prayer before a game, or a valedictorian wants to profess her faith in God, etc. - it is ridiculous to attempt to fall back on a clause that doesn't even exist in the Constitution but comes from a phrase used in a letter written by Jefferson and misinterpreted by a misguided Supreme Court Judge. see: emerson vs. board of education 1946 (I think).

LOL... he said school and state, not church and state. :D

Deborah K
09-09-2009, 08:57 PM
LOL... he said school and state, not church and state. :D

uh oops! http://i39.tinypic.com/2k3es9.jpg

BillyDkid
09-10-2009, 01:08 PM
WTF kind of a country is this anymore? I'm not even a Christian and it makes me hate these people. You have this wonderful, brilliant little girl and some people can't be happy unless unless they are shitting on her. We are so infected with this PC poison.

Deborah K
09-10-2009, 02:26 PM
Treaty of Tripoli which was passed unanimously by both the House and the Senate states

And??? All that treaty proclaims is that the US gov't isn't a theocracy. Well no kidding. There is a SOCS truth and a SOCS lie. There are two clauses in the first amendment with regard to religion. Neither have anything to do with separation. That phrase was taken out of context by Justice Hugo Black in the emerson v. board of education case in 1946. The phrase was written by Thomas Jefferson to the Danbury Baptist Church as an assurance to them that the gov't had NO intention of establishing a religion. Hugo Black took it out of context and set a dangerous precedence for this country.

American Idol
09-10-2009, 06:15 PM
And??? All that treaty proclaims is that the US gov't isn't a theocracy. Well no kidding. There is a SOCS truth and a SOCS lie. There are two clauses in the first amendment with regard to religion. Neither have anything to do with separation. That phrase was taken out of context by Justice Hugo Black in the emerson v. board of education case in 1946. The phrase was written by Thomas Jefferson to the Danbury Baptist Church as an assurance to them that the gov't had NO intention of establishing a religion. Hugo Black took it out of context and set a dangerous precedence for this country.

Dang girl you are ON IT! First Amendment scholar over here...:)

jkr
09-11-2009, 11:20 AM
apologize?!?!


ha hahahah ha

\NO WAY BUD/

wizardwatson
09-11-2009, 11:27 AM
The separation of church and state lie really needs to be exposed.

Yeah, and this case is very clear cut to me. If the student chooses the content the State can't censor anything. It's like saying to a kid, "Draw your perfect world, but not one that has God in it."

Theocrat
09-12-2009, 04:00 AM
Treaty of Tripoli which was passed unanimously by both the House and the Senate states

So was this:

http://www.wallbuilders.com/resources/historical/images/AitkenBible.jpghttp://www.wallbuilders.com/resources/historical/images/AitkenEndorsement.jpg

Obviously, the Treaty of Tripoli had nothing to do with denouncing the fact that America was based on the principles of the Christian religion. When read in its proper context (http://www.scribd.com/doc/17238634/Americas-200-YearOld-War-with-Islamic-Terrorism), it becomes easy to see that the Treaty of Tripoli was denouncing the idea that American Christianity was an imperialistic religion unlike the Islamic states which were against America during the Barbary Wars.

So we see there is nothing wrong with professing the Christian faith in any public domain of American culture. Our country was based on that freedom, after all.

DamianTV
09-12-2009, 04:17 AM
Yeah, thats exactly the kind of shit that we do NOT need in our schools.

And to further my point, "under god" needs to be re-removed from the Pledge of Allegiance, as it was never there to begin with. That is, until the christian spam central got ahold of it and somehow were lucky enough to get it changed.

The structure of the entire christian religion is more of an Avon pyramid scheme than anything.

federalistnp
09-15-2009, 06:20 PM
The separation of church and state was to ensure the church did not become incorporated with the government. In England, the Catholic church was for a long time running the show. The founding fathers didn't want that to happen in this country.

It has nothing to do with what a person has to say in a speech in school. It has nothing to do with a person praying or any of that tripe people are pushing it to be. It's about keeping the government a separate entity from the church. Nothing more.



Thank you! Seperation has NOTHING to do with the student thanking whoever she wishes to thank!

Too often many folks take the simplistic view that falsely believes that anything of a religious nature can't be mentioned in a public, government subsidized place. Freedom of Speech protects someone's rights to express their religious beliefs freely no matter the religion or belief system. Atheism is a belief system as is "secular humanism" and each has their pillar tenets or Darwinism and Culturally Demanded Egalitarianism, respectively.

federalistnp
09-15-2009, 06:23 PM
Actually, the U.S. Supreme Court has already recognized secular humanism as a religion in the case Torcaso v. Watkins (1961) (http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/cgi-bin/getcase.pl?court=us&vol=367&invol=488). That is the religion which Obama was promoting in the video above.

And we shouldn't be required to listen to academia espouse egalitarianism doctrine from their divine book of secular humanism. Agreed! All of it is "belief systems" and all should be equally allowed to freely express their views.