Yesterday, the U.S. Supreme Court denied certiorari (Order List) in two church-state cases. One was Harris County, TX v. Staley (Docket Nos. 07-100 and 07-286), involving the display of a Bible in a monument on the grounds of the Harris County, Texas court house. The district court, as well as a 5th Circuit panel's decision, found that the display violated the Establishment Clause. Ultimately the 5th Circuit en banc refused to reach the merits because of subsequent mootness. However it left the district court decision in place and ordered defendants to pay attorneys' fees. (See prior posting.) Yesterday's Houston Chronicle covered the cert denial. In another article, the Chronicle reports that some county officials still hope the monument and Bible can be installed elsewhere on county property.
The second case in which cert was denied was Teen Ranch, Inc. v. Udow, (Docket No. 07-362). In the case, the 6th Circuit had upheld the decision of Michigan's Family Independence Agency to stop placing abused, neglected and delinquent children with Teen Ranch because the faith-based organization coerces religious participation by youths in their programs. (See prior posting.) Today's Detroit News reports on the denial of cert. [Thanks to Steven C. Sheinberg for the leads.]
