Settlement Requires Michigan City To Allow "Reason Station" Near "Prayer Sation" In City Hall

Yesterday, a federal district court approved a settlement in a suit brought by an atheist who was refused space for a table in the atrium of Warren, Michigan's city hall for a "reason station,"  even though the city had permitted a local pastor to operate a "prayer station" in the atrium since 2009. (See prior posting.) The court's order (full text) in Marshall v. City of Warren, (ED MI, Feb. 23, 2015) requires the city to allow the Reason Station to operate on terms no less favorable than those granted to the Prayer Station. The city must also pay attorneys' fees of $100,000 to the ACLU of Michigan. The ACLU issued a press release calling the settlement "a complete win for our side and for the First Amendment." The Detroit Free Press had additional background.