Posted on 05/29/2008 7:29:53 PM PDT by rawhide
CHICAGO (AP) - A federal judge on Thursday barred school districts statewide from holding the daily moment of silence suitable for prayer that is required under state law.
U.S. District Judge Robert W. Gettleman said he had given school districts time to object to his March 28 preliminary injunction on enforcement of the moment of silence law but received no objections.
He therefore extended to the entire state the preliminary injunction originally designed to apply only to suburban Buffalo Grove District 214.
The law passed by the Illinois General Assembly says every school district in the state must hold a nonreligious moment of silence suitable for prayer or contemplating the day's activities at the start of the day.
Talk radio host Rob Sherman, an outspoken atheist whose daughter, Dawn, attends Buffalo Grove High School, sued to stop enforcement.
He expressed satisfaction after Gettleman issued his order.
"It's good, it's what I wanted," Sherman said. He said the law was designed to unconstitutionally "proselytize Christianity to a captive audience" of school children.
The preliminary injunction issued by Gettleman in March had applied not only to District 214 but to the Illinois State Board of Education.
Attorneys said that could be interpreted to mean that moments of silence already were barred statewide.
But the state board had maintained it had no authority to enforce such an injunction, leaving it unclear as to how the measure applied.
Legislation in response to the lawsuit has stalled.
Sherman said Thursday he would work with "friendly legislators" to reverse the law.
Gettleman, Robert William
Born 1943 in Atlantic City, NJ
Federal Judicial Service:
Judge, U. S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois
Nominated by William J. Clinton on August 16, 1994, to a seat vacated by John F. Grady; Confirmed by the Senate on October 7, 1994, and received commission on October 11, 1994.
Education:
Boston University, B.S./B.A., 1965
Northwestern University School of Law, J.D., 1968
Professional Career:
Staff law clerk, U.S. Court of Appeals, 7th Circuit, 1968
Law clerk, Hon. Latham Castle, U.S. Court of Appeals, 7th Circuit, 1968-1969
Law clerk, Hon. Luther Swygert, U.S. Court of Appeals, 7th Circuit, 1970
Private practice, Chicago, Illinois, 1970-1994
Race or Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
there’s your legacy, Mr. Clinton, and it stinks.
Does this mean it's illegal to play John Cage's song 4'33"?
Another anti-religion leftist liberal. A Clinton product of their sweeping attempt at absolute power from the bench. Again, the judiciary makes a sweeping decision that the voters DELIBERATELY do not get a chance to vote on.
The liberal modus operandi...
It's awful quiet...silent...up there. Perhaps by the time they both get out (if they do) they will have been prosylitized to Christianity.
If they are...they will drop the suite and vacate it. If they are not, it will prove their case a sham...with the same results.
They are banning a school wide moment of silence?
WTH is wrong with silence?
We need a few more mins. of silence in our day, if you ask me.
SILENT PING
Our country is slowing falling into the hands of our enemies and in God’s anger he is allowing it. When Christians can’t pray anymore not even in silence all the while the MUSLIMS here can erect prayer towers and in Dearborn have prayer during their football games....WHAT’S WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE I ask you?!! I’m afraid we are losing our precious FREEDOMS and rights our forefathers had fought and died for. Now the muslims and liberals are pissing on their graves! IF we don’t take a stand NOW our country and our future generation is SCREWED!
We may be called upon, or our children or their children, to fight and die for those freedoms once again. Many hero volunteers already are fighting and dieing in foregin lands.
Thank you for posting that Rose.
You said it better than I could.
“They are banning a school wide moment of silence?”
It’s only OK if you have a day of silence for the homo’s dontcha know.
I think that demanding someone sometime somewhere stop and be silent is an infringement on their personal rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
I am a freeman and will bow to no one, the government only passes laws like this because they can, no homage can be demanded from free people if they are truly free, slavery was abolished in America for everyone.
Rob Sherman will someday be praying for Christians to help his sorry butt when he truly experiences forced religion.
I’d love to hear this guy’s rationale behind his decision.
I prefer my generation to pick up our collective butts and do it. That would be 20-25 or 26. Plus we have an incredibly large source of vets for info.
Easy solution.....FREEZE
Brought to millions of students compliments of Verskyson, I’lltel and Spritzer...
“Does this mean it’s illegal to play John Cage’s song 4’33”?”
It’s legal if you use oranges.
Breyer Rabbit
“Congress shall make no law establishing silence.”
That’s in the Bill of Rights, isn’t it?
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