Judge Accepts WV Jesus Picture Settlement

Howard Friedman reports that the judge in the West Virginia "Jesus Picture" case has accepted a settlement agreement agreed to by both sides and dismissed the case. The ADF has previously declared the case a victory, but I can't imagine why. The settlement agreement says that the school agrees not to replace the picture and that any such display with religious content must be in compliance with all current court rulings on such matters. And while the settlement does that the perfunctory "we are not admitting guilt" clause, it's pretty obvious that they bailed out because they knew they were gonna lose. The agreement also says that the school does not have to pay the legal fees of the ACLU or AU in the case, but it also says that if they violate that agreement they will then be liable for all fees in this case plus any new costs associated with enforcing the consent decree. No matter how the ADF wants to spin it, the case is a clear loss for the school and a clear win for the ACLU. I have a copy of the consent decree, but it's too large to upload here. If anyone wants it, email me and I'll forward it to you.

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