Appeal To 6th Circuit Filed In Recess Bible Reading Case

On Tuesday, a Notice of Appeal (full text) to the 6th Circuit was filed in L.W. v. Knox County Board of Education.  In the case, a federal district court jury in Knoxville, Tennessee found in favor of the Knox County Schools in a lawsuit over the right of elementary school students to read the Bible during recess. (See prior posting.) The jury accepted the school's contention that the school's refusal was merely the result of a misunderstanding about what the children were requesting. In a decision last month (full text), the district court rejected plaintiff's motion for judgment as a matter of law despite the jury verdict, and also rejected plaintiff's motion for a new trial. Alliance Defense Fund issued a press release announcing the filing of the appeal.