For Immediate Release Contact: Amy Couch, 202-238-9088, acouch@americanhumanist.org Monica Miller, 202-238-9088, mmiller@americanhumanist.org (Washington, D.C., November 27, 2017)— The American Humanist Association expressed disappointment today that the Supreme Court has denied its petition for certiorari in a case in which the Fifth Circuit’s decision upholding a Texas school district’s practice of subjecting its students to prayers at school board meetings. For nearly thirty years, the Birdville Independent School District’s school board has been inviting students as young as six to open its meetings with prayers and lead the pledges. Students are present at every meeting, and often manda

For Immediate Release Contact: Amy Couch, 202-238-9088, acouch@americanhumanist.org Monica Miller, 202-238-9088, mmiller@americanhumanist.org (Washington, D.C., November 22, 2017) The Appignani Humanist Legal Center (AHLC) champions another battle to protect the separation of church and state. Governor Jim Justice of West Virginia received a letter today from the AHLC regarding his recent proclamation of the week of November 19-25, 2017 to be named “Christian Heritage Week” in West Virginia. The proclamation declares in part: “Thanksgiving week is an appropriate time to center attention on our thanks to Almighty God for His great and good Providence and for the Christian faith.” Making numer

1. Why are you opposing a memorial that honors World War I veterans? Using a Christian cross as a war memorial does not make the cross secular. It makes the war memorial religious. We are not opposed to memorials honoring our veterans. Government-sponsored memorials, however, cannot endorse one particular religion over others. The 40-foot Bladensburg Cross, standing alone on public land and maintained by the government (with over $217,000 of taxpayer money invested in its renovations and maintenance), obviously endorses Christianity, and that makes it unconstitutional, a violation of the First Amendment. Bladensburg Cross sends a strong message of endorsement and exclusion that only Christi

For Immediate Release Contact: Amy Couch, 202-238-9088, acouch@americanhumanist.org Monica Miller, 202-238-9088, mmiller@americanhumanist.org (Washington, DC, November 20th, 2017)—Today, the American Humanist Association’s (AHA) Appignani Humanist Legal Center filled their response to the American Legion and Prince George’s County’s petitions for rehearing en banc a case brought by the American Humanist Association (AHA) and three of its members, regarding a large Christian cross on government property in Bladensburg, Maryland. In October, The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals overturned an earlier decision by a federal district court upholding the cross. The Fourth Circuit ruled that the cros

For Immediate Release Contact: Amy Couch, Communications Manager, acouch@americanhumanist.org, 202-238-9088 Monica Miller, Senior Counsel, mmiller@americanhumanist.org, 202-238-9088 (Washington, DC, November 16th, 2017)—Today, the American Humanist Association’s (AHA) Appignani Humanist Legal Center filled their Appellate Brief with the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, asking the court to uphold the Florida district court’s decision that a 30-foot Christian cross being displayed in a city park and maintained by taxpayer money violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. The AHA in conjunction with the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FRFF) filed a lawsui