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First Amendment Victory for Pennsylvania Patriot

By Allie Martin
March 11, 2002

(AgapePress) - It’s a victory for religious freedom in one Pennsylvania town.

Last year, a federal judge ordered the Borough of Dormont to allow Michael Juzwick to use the borough’s community room at no cost during Constitution Week. During Constitution Week the year before, Juzwick was given a permit to use the community room -- but borough officials revoked the permit in the middle of the week because Juzwick displayed some religious literature regarding the origins of the Constitution.

Eric Stanley, an attorney with the Liberty Counsel, says the judge’s ruling shows that Christians cannot be treated differently because of their viewpoints.

"He could have rented the community room and distributed any kind of secular literature he wanted, or he could have rented the community room to do anything else other than be religious or distribute religious literature, do anything relating to Christianity," he says. "They treated him differently simply because of that fact."

The borough agreed to cancel a bill of $2,100 it had charged Juzwick to use the room, and will also pay all attorney’s fees and court costs.

"We ended up obtaining one preliminary injunction against the city’s policy for use of the community room," Stanley says. "The judge said it was likely unconstitutional, and after that the city decided to back down and has settled the case."

Stanley says city officials cannot censor a speaker’s message because of its Christian viewpoint.

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