Corwyn Schultz, an agnostic and a former high school student in the Medina Valley Independent School District, took a stand against what he and his family saw as illegal and coercive graduation prayers last year, the Blaze reports. While a judge initially issued a restraining order that rendered the prayers an impossibility, a higher court overturned this decision. The legal battle, which was handled by Americans United for Separation of Church and State, finally came to a close — or so it seemed — last month when the parties reached a settlement. But, alas, new drama seems to be unfolding…
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Teen atheist’s ACLU-led fight against prayer mural to cost RI city at least $173,000
Many Cranston, Rhode Island, citizens likely found themselves frustrated over 16-year-old Jessica Ahlquist’s successful crusade against a prayer banner in her high school. Others, of course, supported her efforts, the Blaze reports. But following the educational and theological debate surrounding the mural’s presence, there’s a new point of contention to debate over–the weighty cost of the legal battle she launched. As we’ve reported, U.S. District Court Judge Ronald Lagueux ruled in Ahlquist’s favor last month. While the district hasn’t yet decided whether it will appeal, the current decision requires the mural to come down and the district to pay for the teenager’s legal feels. According to the final tally, the city of Cranston is being asked to dole out $173,000 in legal fees. This, of course, is on top of the costs the district incurred in both staff and legal fees for its own defense…
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