Heather Rooks, a board member at a government school in Arizona, recently filed a federal lawsuit after she was prohibited from referencing Bible verses during meetings.
Secular Communities for Arizona submitted a complaint earlier this year to the board of Peoria Unified School District, contending that the decisions from Rooks to recite Scripture verses, usually for the purpose of encouraging staff members and teachers, represents “unconstitutional proselytizing,” according to a lawsuit submitted by First Liberty Institute on behalf of Rooks. Legal counsel for the board advised Rooks that quoting the Bible violates the First Amendment after receiving the complaint.
The Freedom from Religion Foundation likewise threatened to file a lawsuit against Peoria Unified School District should Rooks persist in quoting Bible verses. Rooks eventually stopped quoting Scripture amid the internal and external pressure, according to the lawsuit filed by First Liberty Institute, which seeks a “judicial determination of her rights.”
“Heather takes her responsibilities serving the parents and students in her community seriously, and quotes Bible verses as a source of courage and strength in performing those duties,” First Liberty Institute Senior Counsel Andy Gould said in a statement. “Like so many dedicated public leaders throughout our history, Heather most certainly can use inspirational quotes from religious, historical, and philosophical sources and figures as a source of personal inspiration, as well as encouragement to the community at-large.”
The lawsuit indeed notes the considerable history of American public officials quoting the Bible, including excerpts of speeches from President Joe Biden and President Abraham Lincoln. The Freedom from Religion Foundation nevertheless claimed that the First Amendment protects religious liberty by “ensuring the continued separation of religion and government.”
First Liberty Institute cited previous Supreme Court precedents about government school officials operating under “a mistaken view that it has a duty to suppress religious observances even as it allows comparable secular speech.” Attorneys for the nonprofit added that public employees need not “check their faith at the door” when working for the government.