Texas Cheerleaders Win Court Battle

A Texas court has ruled that public high school cheerleaders may display banners which claim that God wants their team to win.

District Judge Steve Thomas Wednesday ruled that the Kountze Independent School District cannot prevent the displays. The controversy began when the cheerleading squad at Kountze High School was ordered by the superintendent to stop displaying the banners. The order came after the district received a letter on September 17, 2012 sent by the Madison, Wis.-based Freedom From Religion Foundation. The letter said the group was acting on behalf of someone who wished to remain anonymous. Some of the cheerleaders, with help from the Plano, Texas-based Liberty Institute, filed a lawsuit against the school district after the ban went into place, saying since they make the banners on their free time and pay for the supplies, they are merely exercising their freedom of speech.