(Bismark, North Dakota, Oct. 17, 2016)— In a letter sent today to the North Dakota State Attorney Ladd R. Erickson today, the American Humanist Association’s Appignani Humanist Legal Center objected to the criminal prosecution of Amy Goodman, host of Democracy Now! and winner of the American Humanist Association’s 2005 Humanist Heroine Award. The letter accused prosecutors of attacking fundamental First Amendment freedom of the press. After filming an attack on activists protesting the Dakota Pipeline, which if constructed would run through Native American tribal lands, Goodman was charged with trespassing. The trespassing charge has since been dropped, but Goodman is still required to appea
For Immediate Release Contact: Merrill Miller, 202-238-9088 ext. 105, merrillmiller@americanhumanist.org Monica Miller, 202-238-9088 ext. 120, mmiller@americanhumanist.org (Carson City, NV, Oct. 6, 2016)—The American Humanist Association’s Appignani Humanist Legal Center filed suit against the Nevada Department of Corrections and its head chaplain on behalf of a humanist inmate who is unconstitutionally being discriminated against for his humanist convictions. Benjamin Espinosa is a member of the American Humanist Association and an inmate at Northern Nevada Correctional Center outside Carson City, Nevada. As a humanist, Espinosa seeks to form a study group in which he and other inmates who
For Immediate Release Contact: Merrill Miller, 202-238-9088 ext. 105, merrillmiller@americanhumanist.org David Niose, 202-238-9088 ext. 119, dniose@americanhumanist.org (Humble, TX, Oct. 3, 2016)—The American Humanist Association’s Appignani Humanist Legal Center demands that teachers in Humble Independent School District in Humble, Texas, stop violating the Constitution by leading students in prayer. On September 28, teachers at Eagle Springs Elementary School participated in and led prayers with students during a “See You at the Pole” event, which is organized by Christian groups across the country to encourage students to pray in front of their schools’ flagpoles. The event took place as
